Two years of conflict: Examining the fallout of Russia's invasion on Ukraine and the world

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Over 10,000 civilians were killed in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and at least twice as many were injured, pushing several tens of millions of Ukrainians to flee their homes. The halted shipments of Ukrainian grain led to a food crisis in the world's poorest regions. The war-induced energy crisis caused price hikes across many countries.

Based on the data from U.S and British intelligence, the Russian side suffered between 300 and 350 thousand casualties including dead and injured soldiers. On the Ukrainian side, the figure stands at a minimum of 200 thousand, but the precise count remains undetermined.

The Russian invasion unified the West, resulting in unprecedented sanctions imposed on Moscow. The West also provided military, economic, and humanitarian support worth tens of billions of dollars to Kiev. NATO expanded to include Finland, with Sweden on the brink of joining the alliance.

Beginning in 2021, Russia started amassing soldiers and military equipment near the Ukraine border. In December, Moscow demanded non-expansion of the North Atlantic Alliance and restriction of its activities along the eastern flank. In January 2022, NATO dismissed these demands.

On February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin ordered a "special military operation" in Donbass aiming to "demilitarize and denazify Ukraine".

The Ukrainian Border Guard at the Kalanchak checkpoint became the first to witness the advancing column of Russian troops from occupied Crimea. The image of the soldier fleeing from the checkpoint quickly gained global circulation and became symbolic.

Russian troops initiated a full-scale invasion, attacking Ukrainian territory from the north, east, and south, including from the annexed Crimea.

Rocket attacks on military buildings and airports, including in Kiev, Kharkov, and Odessa, were initiated. Ukraine also reported a large-scale cyberattack, targeting banks among other institutions. In the initial few days, nearly all Russian forces, totalling 120 to 150 thousand troops who had convened around the border, entered Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian President, declared a state of war, severed diplomatic ties with Russia, and issued a decree mandating the general mobilization of all Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60.

On February 25, 2022, Russian reconnaissance units reached the outskirts of bombarded Kiev. Russian troops seized control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, taking its workers hostage. Intense clashes ensued near Mariupol and Kherson in the south of the country.

On February 27, Russian missile-air strikes continued throughout Ukraine, with Russia occupying an increasing amount of Ukrainian territory. Zelensky announced the formation of the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine, opening enlistment to foreigners.

On February 28, residential areas in Kharkov were attacked with Grad rockets. Zelensky signed an application for Ukraine's membership in the European Union.

A 40-mile long Russian military convoy headed towards the Ukrainian capital, but ultimately failed to reach Kiev.

On March 2, Russian troops captured Kherson and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest in Europe. In the first six days of war, over 2,000 civilians lost their lives in Ukraine.

European Union sanctions excluding some Russian banks from the SWIFT system took effect. In subsequent months, additional EU sanctions were imposed on the Russian and Belarusian financial, energy, and defense sectors. Also enacted was the freezing of assets belonging to certain entities and individuals.