OVERVIEW
MANAGEMENT
PERFORMANCE
POSSIBILITIES
CAPITALS
ACTIVITIES
ACTORS
BURGESS
|
RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE
THE STATE OF THE FIGHT NYT Reporting: Russia-Ukraine War ... Maps: Tracking the Russian Invasion of Ukraine Original article: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/world/europe/ukraine-maps.html Burgess COMMENTARY Peter Burgess | ||
Russia-Ukraine War ... Maps: Tracking the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
How We Cover the War
History of Tensions
Ukraine
Maps: Tracking the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
March 29, 2022
Where Ukrainian forces have mounted counterattacks in the northeast
In the war’s fifth week, Ukraine reported making some gains in the northeast, waging counterattacks that pushed back Russian forces and enabled the Ukrainians to recapture several towns near the front lines.
Ukraine’s counterattacks have come as major Russian offensives have mostly stalled, with Russian troops largely regrouping and trying to consolidate territory taken in the opening weeks of the invasion.
Ukrainian counterattack
Fighting in past 7 days
Occupied areas
Detail
area
BELARUS
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Konotop
Chernihiv
Nizhyn
RUSSIA
Sumy
Irpin
Brovary
Lukianivka
Romny
Boromlia
Pryluky
Makariv
Rudnytske
Kyiv
Trostianets
UKRAINE
Vilkhivka
Myrhorod
Kharkiv
Bila Tserkva
Kaniv
hydroelectric
plant
Chuhuiv
Poltava
Dnieper River
Husarivka
Krasnohrad
Kremenchuk
100 miles
Izium
Source: Verified imagery; witness accounts; Ukrainian and Russian officials; Institute for the Study of War with American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project Note: Occupied areas are as of 3 p.m. Eastern on March 28. Approximate areas of fighting are drawn from reports from March 22 to 28, as of 4 p.m. Eastern on March 28.
The mayor of Irpin, a fiercely contested suburb northwest of Kyiv, said Monday that the Ukrainian army had liberated the town from Russian forces, but that the area remains too unsafe for residents to return home. Maintaining control of Irpin is strategically important for Ukraine’s army to keep its hold on Kyiv.
Reports from the ground suggested Ukraine’s hold on Irpin was tenuous. Ukrainian soldiers who had been in the town on Monday said pockets of Russian troops were still hiding there, and officials said that Russian artillery continued to target the town.
Officials also said the towns of Lukianivka and Rudnytske, both east of Kyiv, had been recaptured after several days of counterattacks.
In a statement posted on Sunday on Telegram, Dmytro Zhyvytsky, the head of the Sumy regional military administration, announced the recapture of Trostianets and Boromlia. The two towns are just south of Sumy, a city currently surrounded by Russian forces.
South of Kharkiv, Ukrainian forces reported having recaptured Husarivka. That town is 10 miles northwest of Izium, where intense fighting has been going on for several weeks.
Josh Holder, Lazaro Gamio, Denise Lu and Scott Reinhard
March 25, 2022
NATO sharply increases its forces in Eastern Europe
NATO announced it was doubling, to eight, the number of countries in Eastern Europe where it has battlegroups. The decision to bolster its presence in the region signals growing concerns for how Russia may respond to the increasing diplomatic and economic penalties it is facing over its monthlong invasion of Ukraine.
Each square represents 5,000 troops:
Host nation
Allied forces
Estonia
9,000 troops
Latvia
9,100
RUSSIA
BALTIC SEA
Lithuania
20,800
Poland
130,500
BELARUS
Slovakia
15,100
UKRAINE
Hungary
24,800
MOLDOVA
Romania
79,300
Countries with
new NATO
battlegroups
Bulgaria
26,900
BLACK SEA
100 miles
Source: NATO
The new NATO battlegroups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia join similar forces in Baltic countries and Poland — which are also growing in size.
“We have a responsibility to ensure that the war does not escalate beyond Ukraine, and become a conflict between NATO and Russia,” said Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s secretary general.
A little more than a quarter of all troops under direct NATO command are now in Poland, which shares a large border with the western part of Ukraine. An additional 120,000 troops from Poland’s military are at the ready — the most of any host country in the alliance.
Mr. Stoltenberg, speaking to reporters a day before a major summit of European allies in Brussels, said: “We face a new reality for our security. So we must reset our deterrence and defense for the longer-term.”
Scott Reinhard and Azi Paybarah
March 23, 2022
Where Russian forces have made advances in eastern Ukraine
Russian advances have stalled on multiple fronts, including areas north of Kyiv and in the south around Mykolaiv, but Russian forces have continued to make slow but consistent territorial gains in eastern Ukraine, where they aim to isolate large parts of the Ukrainian army.
Over the past week, fighting has been fierce in many towns and villages along the front lines, and Russian forces have made advances from territory in the Donbas region, where Russian-backed separatists took over in 2014. Russia has advanced west in Donetsk toward the region’s border and northwest toward Izium.
Reports of fighting on:
March 19–22
March 15–18
March 11–14
Occupied areas
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Kharkiv
Detail area
Izium has been under fierce
attack from Russia, but
recent advances to the west
of the city were halted.
LUHANSK
Severodonetsk has been
under frequent attack as
Russian forces move
northeast to link up with
forces south of Kharkiv.
UKRAINE
Rubizhne
Lysychansk
Administrative
border
Popasna
Luhansk
DONETSK
Horlivka
Intense fighting has
continued along the previous
front line of Ukrainian
and Russian-backed forces.
Russian forces have steadily
advanced westward in Donetsk
toward the administrative border.
Donetsk
Novomykhailivka
Novotroitske
Vuhledar
Olhynka
Volnovakha
RUSSIA
Approximate line separating
Ukrainian and Russian-backed
forces before the invasion
Mariupol
30 miles
SEA OF AZOV
Source: Verified imagery; witness accounts; Ukrainian and Russian officials; Institute for the Study of War with American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project Note: Occupied areas are as of 3 p.m. Eastern on March 23. Russian forces in eastern Ukraine include Russian-backed separatists. Approximate areas of fighting are drawn from reports from March 11 to 22, as of 4 a.m. Eastern on March 23. The New York Times
Russian forces are likely to have two strategic targets in the Donbas. The Russian military aims to advance the front line toward the administrative border of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and to also link up forces in the Donbas with troops from Crimea and south of Kharkiv, according to military analysts. Connecting these forces could isolate Ukrainian troops fighting on the front line near Donbas or force them to retreat, which would be a major strategic victory for the Russians.
Mariupol, an important port city that has been holding out against a Russian siege for more than three weeks now, remains in Ukrainian control, frustrating Russian forces in their goal to control a corridor from Donetsk to Crimea. Russian troops have advanced on Mariupol from both the east and west in recent days, while continuing to shell residential buildings in the city and reinforce artillery positions north of the city.
Some of the most intense fighting has been for the city of Severodonetsk in Luhansk. The Ukrainian armed forces report nearly daily attacks on the city, but it currently remains in Ukrainian hands. The city is on a crucial advance northwest toward Izium, which Russian troops have also repeatedly attacked from the north.
Josh Holder, Scott Reinhard, Lazaro Gamio and Denise Lu
Updated March 21, 2022
Russia, stalled elsewhere, advances in the east
Ukrainian forces continue to hold off Russian advances near Kyiv, Kharkiv and in large parts of the South. But in the east, Russian forces have made steady progress in recent days, moving west from the separatist-held territory of Donbas.
Recent fighting
Past advance
Recent advance
Ukrainian defense
Taken by Russians
BELARUS
Detail area
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Ovruch
Konotop
Chernihiv
RUSSIA
Nizhyn
Sumy
Brovary
Romny
Irpin
Pryluky
Okhtyrka
Kyiv
Zhytomyr
Lubny
Myrhorod
Kharkiv
Bila Tserkva
Kaniv
hydroelectric
plant
Chuhuiv
Vinnytsia
Poltava
Dnieper River
Krasnohrad
Kremenchuk
Izium
Severodonetsk
UKRAINE
Uman
Dnipro
Pavlograd
Kropyvnytskyi
Luhansk
Horlivka
South Ukraine
nuclear plant
DONBAS
Kryvyi Rih
Zaporizhzhia
Donetsk
Nikopol
Voznesensk
Polohy
Zaporizhzhia
nuclear plant
Mykolaiv
Melitopol
Mariupol
Kherson
Berdiansk
Odessa
SEA OF AZOV
CRIMEA
Seized in 2014
BLACK SEA
100 miles
Source: Verified imagery, witness accounts, Ukrainian and Russian officials, Institute for the Study of War with American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project Note: Russian forces in eastern Ukraine include Russian-backed separatists. Approximate areas of fighting are drawn from reports from March 13 to 21. The New York Times
Russian forces in many parts of the country have been hindered by supply issues, with units pausing operations while they regroup.
An assessment published on Sunday by the Institute for the Study of War said that Russian forces will likely expand their bombing campaign on Kyiv instead of trying to encircle the city in the coming weeks.
The group also reported that Russian forces are strengthening their defensive positions in captured areas and moving artillery into positions that can strike central Kyiv.
Even as Ukrainians hold the line outside major cities, the position of the Ukrainian army in the east looks increasingly precarious, according to an analysis this week by researchers at RUSI, a military analysis group. Those forces could risk becoming encircled by Russian troops advancing along several paths east of the Dnieper River.
Those advances have left a vast trail of destruction, according to witnesses, imagery and statements from local officials.
Russian forces have moved into several villages west of the city of Donetsk in the last couple of days. Farther north, they have pummeled the city of Izium, which has no heat, food, water or other basic services, although the Russian and Ukrainian sides dispute who controls the city.
Lazaro Gamio, Josh Holder, Denise Lu, Marco Hernandez, Marc Santora, Agnes Chang, Pablo Robles and Scott Reinhard
March 20, 2022
An initial analysis of damage in Mariupol shows widespread attacks across residential areas
Analysis of satellite images for a section of Mariupol found evidence of widespread damage across residential neighborhoods. At least 391 buildings in the study area were observed to have been damaged or destroyed in a part of the city that is dotted with schools and health facilities.
Buildings destroyed or severely damaged
Moderately damaged
Mariupol
UKRAINE
Area of
analysis
Mariupol
Livoberezhnyi
district
Area of
analysis
MARIUPOL
Vynohradne
TAHANROZ
GULF
1 mile
Source: Damage analysis by Unitar/Unosat Note: The analysis excluded a military area near the center of the map. The analysis accounts only for damage apparent in satellite imagery and thus is most likely an undercount of the actual damage sustained so far. The New York Times
The analysis, by Unitar-Unosat, a United Nations research group, examined structures within a section of the eastern district of Livoberezhnyi. The group compared a satellite image captured on March 14 this year with imagery from June 2021.
Damaged structures included seven schools and four health facilities, according to the report. Livoberezhnyi, meaning “Left Bank,” is one of the city’s four administrative districts and is home to about 120,000 residents.
Russian forces have laid siege to Mariupol for nearly three weeks. Incessant shelling has blocked efforts to evacuate people and send aid, leaving the nearly half a million residents trapped with dwindling supplies of food, water and medicine.
A maternity ward bombed last week and a theater bombed on Wednesday are near the city center. Mariupol’s city council said on Sunday that Russia had bombed a drama school where about 400 people had been hiding.
UKRAINE
Talakivka
Mariupol
Sartana
Kalmiuskyi district
Staryi Krym
MARIUPOL
Kalynivka
Portcity Mall
Destroyed. Had more
than 200 shops.
TerraSport
Thousands
sheltering.
Government building
Captured by Russia
on March 18.
Livoberezhnyi
district
Berdiansk
Regional intensive
care hospital
Hundreds held hostage.
Maternity hospital
Bombed on March 9.
School
Bombed.
Hundreds used
as shelter.
Theater
Bombed on
March 16.
Azovstal
steel plant
Control disputed.
Prymorskyi
district
TAHANROZ
GULF
The New York Times
Most communication has been cut off from the city, making it difficult to assess the full extent of the damage and the status of residents still there.
Weiyi Cai, Agnes Chang, Marco Hernandez, Josh Holder, Eleanor Lutz, Anjali Singhvi and Pablo Robles.
March 15, 2022
Where Ukrainians are fighting Russian forces
While their advances have slowed in recent days, Russian forces continue to clash with Ukrainian defenses on multiple fronts. This map shows the active areas of fighting, according to a statement posted on Tuesday by Ukrainian military officials.
Occupied areas
Current fighting
BELARUS
Detail area
Kyiv
Chernihiv
UKRAINE
Ovruch
Konotop
RUSSIA
Nizhyn
Sumy
Irpin
Bucha
Romny
Brovary
Pryluky
Okhtyrka
Kyiv
Zhytomyr
Russian forces attempting
to advance on Kyiv from the
northeast have faced fighting
and disruptions.
Kharkiv
Chuhuiv
Poltava
Dnieper River
There was fierce
fighting in Izium as
Russian troops
advanced from the
area around Kharkiv.
Izium
UKRAINE
Severodonetsk
Dnipro
Luhansk
Horlivka
Kryvyi Rih is quite likely
to be one of Russia’s next
targets. Troops have
advanced from Kherson.
Kryvyi Rih
DONBAS
Zaporizhzhia
Donetsk
Polohy
Mykolaiv
Mariupol
Melitopol
Berdiansk
Kherson
Odessa
SEA OF AZOV
CRIMEA
Seized in 2014
BLACK SEA
100 miles
Source: Institute for the Study of War with American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project (Russian-occupied areas) Note: Occupied areas are as of 3 p.m. Eastern on March 15. Russian forces in eastern Ukraine include Russian-backed separatists. The New York Times
In recent days, fighting near Kyiv has been mostly restricted to suburbs, just northwest and west of the city, including Bucha and Irpin, about 10 miles from the city center.
In the south, Russian forces resumed attacks in their advances toward Mykolaiv and Kryvyi Rih. Recent Russian pushes have been toward Zaporizhzhia, with forces most likely aiming to block the city on both banks of the Dnieper River.
In the east, Russian forces and Russian-backed separatists have pushed the frontline forward, claiming more areas of Ukraine. Intense fighting has continued for days for Izium, a small city southeast of Kharkiv. Ukrainians still hold Izium, and recent Russian advances have moved around it, heading west toward the city of Dnipro, a key Russian target.
Josh Holder and Scott Reinhard
March 15, 2022
A night of violent bombardment in Kyiv
Russian missile strikes hammered multiple neighborhoods in Ukraine’s capital on Tuesday, hitting at least three residential buildings, the entrance of a subway station and a surrounding market.
Airstrikes
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Residential
building
Residential building
Kyiv
At least two people dead
Subway entrance
and market
Residential
building
Presidential
palace
3 miles
The New York Times
It was the most significant attack on Kyiv in recent days. As Russia has failed to capture major cities, it has intensified its targeting of civilian areas from the air, striking residential buildings, schools and hospitals across the country.
At least four people were killed in the Kyiv attacks on Tuesday, and dozens more had to be rescued, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. Vitali Klitschko, the mayor, announced a 35-hour curfew starting at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, warning that the city was enduring “a difficult and dangerous moment.”
Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in a 16-story residential building in Kyiv.
Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in a 16-story residential building in Kyiv. Sergei Supinsky/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Despite multiple attacks, the prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia traveled to Kyiv on Tuesday to express the European Union’s “unequivocal support” for Ukraine and offer financial support.
Pablo Robles and Josh Holder
March 13, 2022
Russian strikes kill dozens in western Ukraine
Russian warplanes struck a Ukrainian military base near the Polish border on Sunday, killing at least 35 people and bringing the war dangerously close to NATO’s doorstep. Western Ukraine had been largely spared from the early fighting, but Russian airstrikes on military targets in the region have ramped up in the last few days.
Airstrikes since March 11
BELARUS
Kyiv
UKR.
Detail
area
Kovel
Korosten
March 11
Airstrikes killed four soldiers
at a military airfield in Lutsk.
POLAND
Lviv
Zhytomyr
March 13
Airstrikes killed at least
35 people at a military
base in Yavoriv.
UKRAINE
Ternopil
SLOV.
Khmelnytskyi
March 11 and 13
Airstrikes struck the airport
in Ivano-Frankivsk.
Vinnytsia
Mukachevo
HUN.
Chernivtsi
MOLDOVA
ROMANIA
50 miles
The New York Times
The maps below show how Russian aerial attacks have shifted since the widespread airstrikes on the first day of the invasion. Each three-day map shows locations of shelling, airstrikes and other projectiles, according to a New York Times tally of air-related attacks.
Timeline of aerial attacks by region
Feb. 24 to 26
Feb. 27 to March 1
March 2 to 4
Chernihiv
Lutsk
Kyiv
Zhytomyr
Kharkiv
Zaporizhzhia
Mykolaiv
Odessa
Kherson
Mariupol
March 5 to 7
March 8 to 10
March 11 to 13
Yavoriv
Ivano-Frankivsk
Dnipro
Source: Compiled from photos and videos showing evidence of attacks, government reports and first-person accounts. Data indicates the overall pattern of attacks and should not be considered to be comprehensive. The New York Times
The attack on the base in Yavoriv, just 12 miles from the Polish border, also injured more than 100 people. Around 1,000 foreign fighters were believed to be training at the base, known as the International Peacekeeping and Security Center.
Sunday’s attack was the closest Russian offensive yet to the border with Poland, a NATO and European Union member where U.S. troops were deployed to bolster NATO’s defense. Russia carried out the attack a day after warning that weapons flowing into Ukraine from Western allies were “legitimate targets.”
1:22
Blasts and Explosions at Ukrainian Base
Video shows the moment of the attack and its aftermath on the military base in Yavoriv, Ukraine. By Haley Willis, Ainara Tiefenthäler and Yousur Al-Hlou
Agnes Chang, Lauren Leatherby, Scott Reinhard and Charlie Smart
March 12, 2022
From small towns to large cities, the extent of Russia’s aerial bombardment of Ukraine
Facing significant Ukrainian resistance on the ground, Russia is increasingly relying on aerial bombardment. Since the invasion started, at least 67 Ukrainian towns and cities have been hit — some attacked on multiple days — with shelling, airstrikes and other projectiles, according to a New York Times tally of air-related attacks.
Number of days each city was hit with air-related attacks
Symbols are sized by the minimum number of days with reports of such attacks.
Detail area
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Kyiv
Irpin
At least 5 days
UKRAINE
Chernihiv
At least 4 days
Ovruch
Konotop
Nizhyn
Kharkiv
At least 9 days
Sumy
Brovary
Romny
Pryluky
Zhytomyr
Kyiv
At least 5 days
Okhtyrka
At least 4 days
Severodonetsk
At least 4 days
Chuhuiv
Poltava
Dnieper River
Izium
At least 4 days
UKRAINE
Dnipro
Luhansk
Horlivka
DONBAS
Kryvyi Rih
Zaporizhzhia
MOLDOVA
Donetsk
Oleksandrivka
Polohy
ROMANIA
Mykolaiv
Melitopol
Mariupol
At least 6 days
Kherson
Berdiansk
Odessa
SEA OF AZOV
CRIMEA
Seized in 2014
BLACK SEA
100 miles
Source: Compiled from photos and videos showing evidence of attacks, government reports and first-person accounts. Note: Data is as of 5:30 p.m. Eastern on March 11. Attacks may not have occurred over consecutive days. The New York Times
Because of the difficulties in getting comprehensive reporting of events in wartime, the tallies shown here are likely an undercount of the full scale of Russia’s aerial attacks.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, has been under bombardment for at least nine days. Kyiv, the capital, as well as Irpin, a nearby city, and Mariupol, the besieged southern port city, have also been subjected to multiple days of relentless shelling. At least eight cities have had more than four days of shelling.
Russian forces recently stepped up aerial attacks in locations far from the frontlines. Many small towns and villages between the eastern Donbas region and Kharkiv have had at least one day of aerial attacks, as Russian forces move toward each other in an effort to close off northeastern Ukraine.
Marco Hernandez, Denise Lu, Eleanor Lutz and Larry Buchanan
March 11, 2022
Where Russians have continued their advances
Although Russia has not captured major cities in recent days, its invasion is far from stalled. Russian forces continue to make gains, pushing into smaller cities and encircling larger ones. Troops have been nearing Kyiv, the capital, and also closing in on key cities in the South and the Northeast.
Occupied areas
Past advance
Recent advance
Ukrainian defense
Taken by Russians
BELARUS
Detail area
Kyiv
Chernihiv
UKRAINE
Ovruch
Konotop
RUSSIA
Nizhyn
Sumy
Brovary
Romny
Irpin
Pryluky
Okhtyrka
Kyiv
Zhytomyr
DETAIL BELOW
Kharkiv
Kaniv
hydroelectric
plant
Chuhuiv
Poltava
Dnieper River
Izium
UKRAINE
Severodonetsk
DETAIL BELOW
Dnipro
Luhansk
Horlivka
South Ukraine
nuclear plant
DONBAS
Kryvyi Rih
Zaporizhzhia
Donetsk
Voznesensk
Polohy
Zaporizhzhia
nuclear plant
Mykolaiv
Melitopol
Mariupol
Kherson
Berdiansk
Odessa
SEA OF AZOV
CRIMEA
Seized in 2014
BLACK SEA
100 miles
DETAIL BELOW
Source: Institute for the Study of War with American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project (Russian-occupied areas) Note: Occupied areas are as of 4 p.m. Eastern on March 10. Russian forces in eastern Ukraine include Russian-backed separatists. The New York Times
The advances have often been arduous, halting and costly. In some areas, Ukrainian forces have repeatedly pushed the Russians back and have regularly disrupted supply lines. The Ukrainians have managed to hold frontlines outside major cities, even as the much larger Russian force has bombarded civilian areas with devastating airstrikes.
But even Russia’s slow advances encircling major cities has put enormous pressure on Ukrainian civilians, some of whom lack electricity and running water. And Ukraine’s military remains on the defensive as Russia consolidates its positions outside major cities and threatens to isolate large numbers of Ukrainian troops or force them to retreat.
“We are surrounded,” said Vladyslav Atroshenko, the mayor of Chernihiv, in a message posted online Wednesday. Russians had bypassed Chernihiv in the early days of the invasion.
Outside Kyiv, Russian forces gained control of the town of Bucha several days ago and moved southwest in an attempt to encircle the capital. They were also approaching Kyiv from the east, with heavy fighting involving a line of Russian tanks reported in the suburb of Brovary, according to videos posted online on Thursday.
Occupied areas
Past advance
Recent advance
Ukrainian defense
Taken by Russians
BELARUS
Chernihiv
Kovpyta
Chernobyl
Krasylivka
UKRAINE
Oster
Nosivka
Ivankiv
Kyiv
Reservoir
Kozelets
Kukhari
Malyn
Demydiv
Borodianka
Bucha
Andriivka
Radomyshl
Brovary
Kyiv
Motyzhyn
Berezan
Byshiv
Dnieper R.
Fastiv
20 miles
Source: Institute for the Study of War with American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project (Russian-occupied areas) Note: Occupied areas are as of 4 p.m. Eastern on March 10. The New York Times
Russian forces continue to have the upper hand in the south. Their offensive on Mykolaiv continued as they worked to encircle the city from the east, with troops conducting offensives radiating out.
Some troops have pushed up as far as Oleksandrivka, not far from the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant, the country’s second largest. Others have made their way to the north and northeast of Mykolaiv toward Kryvyi Rih, though no sustained offensive has been reported.
Occupied areas
Past advance
Recent advance
Ukrainian defense
Taken by Russians
Dnipro
South Ukraine
nuclear plant
Donetsk
Zaporizhzhia
Kryvyi Rih
Novyi Buh
Volnovakha
Nikopol
Orikhiv
Novovorontsovka
Polohy
Voznesensk
Zaporizhzhia
nuclear plant
Tokmak
Mykolaiv
Mariupol
Melitopol
Berdiansk
Hydro
plant
Kherson
Odessa
SEA OF AZOV
CRIMEA
Seized in 2014
BLACK SEA
Sevastopol
100 miles
Source: Institute for the Study of War with American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project (Russian-occupied areas) Note: Occupied areas are as of 4 p.m. Eastern on March 10. The New York Times
Mariupol, a southern port city, remains besieged and under constant bombardment. Russia-backed separatist forces from the Donbas have also claimed that they control the highway from Volnovakha to Mariupol, closing yet another route out of the city.
The Russians appear to be amassing forces north of Crimea for an offensive on Zaporizhzhia.
Occupied areas
Past advance
Recent advance
Ukrainian defense
Taken by Russians
RUSSIA
Bohodukhiv
UKRAINE
Kharkiv
Chuhuiv
Kupiansk
Andriivka
Balakliya
Svatove
Pervomaiskyi
Izium
20 miles
Severodonetsk
Source: Institute for the Study of War with American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project (Russian-occupied areas) Note: Occupied areas are as of 4 p.m. Eastern on March 10. The New York Times
In the east, in addition to trying to encircle the city of Kharkiv, Russian forces are making their way south, most likely in an effort to join forces with Russian-controlled areas in the Donbas who are moving west. Doing so would cut off the northeast region of Ukraine.
Russian troops have attacked Izium and the surrounding towns. Civilians were evacuated from Izium, which was one of the humanitarian corridors established during the fighting.
Several other towns between Kharkiv and Izium were also the site of Russian shelling. In Slobozhanske, Ukrainian officials reported that a civilian residence had been hit, killing four people.
Denise Lu, Lazaro Gamio, Marco Hernandez, Josh Holder and Scott Reinhard
March 10, 2022
Images show Russian strikes on civilian buildings in Mariupol
Russian forces struck a number of civilian buildings in the southeastern city of Mariupol. These satellite images show widespread damage on the city’s west side — in residential areas, shopping centers and surrounding agricultural fields.
Residential areas
2020
Google
Wednesday
Planet Labs
Portcity shopping mall
2020
Google
Wednesday
Planet Labs
Epicentr K shopping mall
2020
Google
Wednesday
Planet Labs
Shelling marks can be seen in the fields near M14, a major highway connecting Mariupol to Odessa in Ukraine’s southwestern corner, according to Allison Puccioni, a satellite image analyst and chief executive of Armillary Services.
Shelling craters
To Mariupol
Damaged structures
Vehicle tracks
Highway M14
To Odessa
Shelling craters
To Mariupol Airport
Satellite image by Planet Labs The New York Times
Russian forces have encircled Mariupol, an important port, for a week now, laying siege to the roughly half a million people living there. Russian shelling has blocked efforts to create safe roadways for civilians, leaving them trapped without water, food, heat or medicine. Hundreds of casualties have been reported, including at least three people killed after a Russian missile struck a maternity ward, according to the local government. Trenches have been dug for mass graves, and local authorities have instructed residents on how to dispose of the bodies of dead family members.
Satellite data detected several fires in the west of the city since Sunday. Analysis of satellite imagery found that many residences were significantly damaged, along with commercial and other civilian structures. Three instances of residential damage are shown below.
UKRAINE
Mariupol
Staryi Krym
Kalmiuskyi
UKRAINE
Area of available
satellite coverage
Damaged
structure
Mariupol
1
Berdyans
2020
2022
2
3
1
Prymors
2020
2022
2020
2022
3
2
1 mile
Satellite images by Planet Labs The New York Times
Agnes Chang, Marco Hernandez, Josh Holder, Scott Reinhard, Pablo Robles and Tim Wallace
March 9, 2022
Six ‘humanitarian corridors’ are established, but evacuations remain difficult
On Wednesday, a tentative agreement between Russian and Ukrainian forces allowed for civilians to evacuate from Ukrainian cities with heavy fighting. Six “humanitarian corridors” were established, though not all of them were confirmed to be open and working to safely evacuate people. Ukrainian officials said Russia continued to violate the cease-fire for the corridor out of Mariupol.
Across the corridors, about 40,000 women and children had been evacuated in a day, David Arakhamia, the leader of the governing Servant of the People Party in Ukraine, said on Facebook on Wednesday.
Occupied areas
Approximate corridor routes
BELARUS
Detail area
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Chernihiv
Cities northwest
of Kyiv
Sumy
RUSSIA
Romny
Kyiv
Lokhvytsia
Lubny
Kharkiv
Poltava
Izium
UKRAINE
Kremenchuk
Lozova
Dnipro
Pokrovsk
Kryvyi Rih
DONBAS
Zaporizhzhia
Donetsk
Volnovakha
Enerhodar
Mykolaiv
Mariupol
Melitopol
Odessa
Kherson
Russia continues to violate the cease-fire in Mariupol.
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Seized in 2014
BLACK SEA
100 miles
Source: Ukrainian authorities The New York Times
More than 600 women and children were taken by bus and car from Enerhodar to Zaporizhzhia in the south, according to local officials, and at least 3,000 people were evacuated from the northwest cities of Irpin and Vorzel and taken to Kyiv.
A Ukrainian deputy prime minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, said on Facebook that they have been unable to establish a safe corridor out of Mariupol, the site of some of the heaviest bombardment. Russian forces have cut all communications there, making it increasingly difficult to get information about the state of the city, where hundreds of thousands of people remain trapped with limited access to food and water.
On Tuesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said about 18,000 people had managed to escape from the areas of the heaviest fighting outside of Kyiv. And he said the passage from Sumy to Poltava, in central Ukraine, allowed about 1,600 students and 3,500 residents to be evacuated.
“Today we will do everything to continue the work of humanitarian corridors,” he said on Wednesday.
Allison McCann, Marco Hernandez, Marc Santora, Lazaro Gamio and Scott Reinhard
March 9, 2022
Where the police have arrested antiwar protesters in Russia
More than 13,000 people have been arrested in antiwar protests in Russia since its invasion of Ukraine began on Feb. 24. While the majority of arrests have taken place in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia’s two largest cities, protesters have been detained in more than 150 cities in a sign of the pent-up anger about the war that is felt across the country.
St. Petersburg
4,141 arrests
Petropavlovsk, 1
Kaliningrad
71
Moscow
6,392 arrests
Yakutsk, 3
UKRAINE
RUSSIA
Novosibirsk
378
Irkutsk
93
Vladivostok
37
Source: OVD-Info. Note: Map shows total arrests since Feb. 24. The New York Times
Antiwar protests have continued even as President Vladimir V. Putin renewed his clampdown on free speech. On Friday, a new law was enacted that threatened anyone spreading “false information” about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with up to 15 years in prison. Facebook, Twitter and all major foreign media were also blocked as the Kremlin seeks to control the narrative in Russia, which faces an economic crisis as a result of Western sanctions.
Despite the risks, Sunday saw the highest single-day tally of protester arrests in recent memory. More than 5,300 protesters were detained across 74 cities, according to OVD-Info, an activist group that tracks protests in Russia. People were seen chanting “No to war!” on St. Petersburg’s central avenue, Nevsky Prospekt, and on Moscow’s Manezhnaya Square, just outside the Kremlin walls.
A photo of police deployed to quell an antiwar protest in Moscow, Russia.
The Russian police deployed to quell a protest in Moscow on March 6. Yuri Kochetkov/EPA, via Shutterstock
A photo of an antiwar demonstrator being detained by police in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Police officers detained a demonstrator in St. Petersburg on Feb. 27. Dmitri Lovetsky/Associated Press
Photos and videos from the ground, which have become more scarce in the days since the new censorship law, show the sharp police response to the protests. Officers were seen pinning protesters to the ground and beating some with batons.
Agnes Chang, Josh Holder, Pablo Robles and Lazaro Gamio
March 8, 2022
How Russia aims to isolate Ukrainian forces in the east
Ukrainian forces have held off Russian forces from taking control of new cities in recent days. But the Russians continue to make smaller advances on multiple fronts, and they appear to be aiming for a critical target in central Ukraine: the city of Dnipro.
Occupied areas
Past advance
Recent advance
Ukrainian defense
Taken by Russians
BELARUS
Detail area
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Chernihiv
Ovruch
Konotop
RUSSIA
Nizhyn
Sumy
Brovary
Romny
Irpin
Pryluky
Okhtyrka
Kyiv
Zhytomyr
Kharkiv
Kaniv
hydroelectric
plant
Chuhuiv
Poltava
Dnieper River
Izium
UKRAINE
Severodonetsk
Dnipro
Possible future
Russian advance
Luhansk
Horlivka
South Ukraine
nuclear plant
DONBAS
Kryvyi Rih
Zaporizhzhia
Donetsk
Polohy
Zaporizhzhia
nuclear plant
Mykolaiv
Melitopol
Mariupol
Kherson
Berdiansk
Odessa
SEA OF AZOV
CRIMEA
Seized in 2014
BLACK SEA
100 miles
Source: Institute for the Study of War with American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project (Russian-occupied areas) Note: Occupied areas are as of 3 p.m. Eastern on March 7. Russian forces in eastern Ukraine include Russian-backed separatists. The New York Times
Dnipro occupies an important position. If Russian troops can advance on it both from the north, near Kharkiv, and from the south, up from Crimea, they could isolate Ukrainian forces fighting in the Donbas region in the east, or force them to retreat.
If the Ukrainian forces in the east are not already withdrawing, they could be potentially encircled and destroyed soon, according to an analysis by Konrad Muzyka, a defense analyst for Rochan Consulting.
Southern Ukraine is where Russian forces have advanced the most since the invasion began 13 days ago, and Russian forces have continued to press north of Melitopol after taking control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant on Friday.
Russian troops control the small city of Polohy, and the city has been without heat, electricity or running water for six days, according to a statement on Tuesday by Ivan Arefiev, a spokesman for the regional military administration.
One aim of recent advances appears to be uniting three groups of Russian forces: troops in the south coming from Crimea; troops moving southeast from near Kharkiv; and Russia-backed separatists pushing the front line in the Donbas region.
Mariupol, a city on Ukraine’s southern coast, is still holding out against a Russian siege that has left residents without electricity or basic services. It is the last city standing between the unification of Russia-backed separatists attacking from the east and Russian troops advancing from Crimea.
Agnes Chang, Keith Collins, Lazaro Gamio, Marco Hernandez, Josh Holder, Allison McCann, Scott Reinhard and Pablo Robles
March 6, 2022
Russia moves toward Kyiv from the east and attacks civilians from the west
In the first 11 days of the war, Russian forces have pushed into the areas north and northeast of Kyiv, in an effort to encircle and capture the capital city.
Areas occupied
Airstrikes or shelling
Recent advance
25 miles
BELARUS
Chernihiv
RUSSIA
Konotop
Russian forces were establishing a forward helicopter base near Ivankiv.
Sumy
Kozarovychi
Directions of recent Russian advances toward Kyiv
Hostomel
Bucha
Irpin
The Ukrainian Air Force attacked Russian forces in Peremoha, according to the Ukrainian military.
Stoyanka
Kyiv
Markhalivka
Area of detail
UKRAINE
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Large strike on residential neighborhood in Bila Tserkva.
Source: British Ministry of Defense (Russian advances); Institute for the Study of War with American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project (Russian advances, Russian-occupied areas) Note: Occupied areas are as of 3 p.m. Eastern on March 6. The New York Times
Russia has moved to encircle other key cities throughout the north as it advances toward Kyiv, according to intelligence reports from Britain’s Ministry of Defense. Attempts to take Chernihiv have not been successful, while advances from Sumy through the sparsely populated areas to the east of Kyiv have been met with less resistance, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington research group.
Russia’s ground forces, including armored vehicles and tanks, have not moved as far along in the dense, urban areas around Kyiv. Ukrainian forces have launched ambushes using small, nimble military units to sneak up on Russian forces. These units are armed with anti-tank missiles that are used to counter Russia’s heavy machinery.
While Russia has not launched major ground operations into the heart of Kyiv over the past two days, intense shelling has continued in several surrounding towns. On Sunday, a Times photographer witnessed four people, including a mother and her two children, killed by a strike as mortar shelling targeted a battered bridge used by evacuees in Irpin who were trying to escape to Kyiv.
Irpin River
Evacuees huddled under a
destroyed bridge, one of the
main escape routes out of Irpin.
IRPIN
At least four people,
including two children, were
killed by a mortar shell.
Irpin River
P30 road
Irpin
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Evacuation route
toward Kyiv
Satellite imagery via Google Earth The New York Times
Buildings near Irpin burned after shelling on March 6 in the outskirts of Kyiv. Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press
Weiyi Cai, Eleanor Lutz, Blacki Migliozzi, Scott Reinhard, Anjali Singhvi and Charlie Smart
March 5, 2022
The Russian offensive in three parts of the south
Russia continued to make advances on Saturday in southeastern Ukraine, pushing into the areas around Melitopol and continuing to move toward Mykolaiv, another strategic port city on the Black Sea.
Areas occupied
Major front
Most recent advance
Previous advance
Dnipro
UKRAINE
Luhansk
Russia now controls the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
Donetsk
Kryvyi Rih
Zaporizhzhia
Volnovakha
Russian forces continued to push toward Mykolaiv.
Mariupol
Melitopol
Evacuations of Mariupol and Volnovakha were halted amid Russian shelling.
Kherson
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
RUSSIA
CRIMEA
Kyiv
Sevastopol
UKRAINE
Detail area
BLACK SEA
100 miles
Source: Institute for the Study of War with American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project (Russian-occupied areas) | Note: Occupied areas are as of 3 p.m. Eastern on March 4. The New York Times
Russian forces still surround Mariupol, where about a half million people have been without heat, electricity or water for several days. A Russian-declared cease-fire was intended to allow civilians to leave Mariupol and Volnovakha on Saturday, but the evacuations were halted amid what Ukrainian officials said was renewed shelling.
On Friday Russia attacked the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear plant in Europe, and Ukrainian officials said the plant is now under control of Russian forces.
Lauren Leatherby and Allison McCann
March 5, 2022
Russian attacks on nuclear sites could destabilize Ukraine’s energy supply
Russian forces attacked the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on March 3 and are now reportedly pushing toward the South Ukraine nuclear power plant. These are Ukraine’s two largest nuclear power plants, together responsible for one-third of Ukraine’s electricity generation.
Nuclear plant
Coal plant
Areas occupied by Russia
BELARUS
POLAND
RUSSIA
Rivne
Chernobyl
(defunct)
Sumy
Lviv
Khmelnitski
Kyiv
SLOVAKIA
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
HUNGARY
Dnipro
Luhansk
Donetsk
South Ukraine
MOLDOVA
Zaporizhzhia
Mykolaiv
Mariupol
Kherson
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
100 miles
BLACK SEA
BULGARIA
Source: World Nuclear Association; Global Coal Plant Tracker, Global Energy Monitor, February 2022; Institute for the Study of War with American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project (Russian-occupied areas) | Note: Occupied areas are as of 3 p.m. Eastern on March 4. The New York Times
Ukraine has a total of four nuclear power plants consisting of 15 reactors that generate roughly 50 percent of the country’s electricity. After nuclear power, coal is the largest source of electricity generated in the country. Many of Ukraine’s coal-fired power plants lie in the Donbas region, where Russian-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces since 2014.
Electricity generation in Ukraine by source
Nuclear
54%
Other sources
16%
Coal
30%
2000
2005
2010
2015
2020
Source: International Energy Agency The New York Times
Control over Ukraine’s electricity generation would give Russian forces another tool in their effort to gain control of the country.
In recent years, Ukraine was already taking steps to disconnect itself from the Soviet-era energy grid it shares with Russia and Belarus, instead looking to connect to a grid shared by its western neighbors. It was running tests on its energy system on Feb. 24, the very day the Russians invaded. The connection to the rest of Europe’s grid was originally planned for completion in 2023, but Ukrainian officials are now looking to expedite it.
As Russian invasion efforts have been frustrated by staunch Ukrainian resistance, Russian forces have moved to using artillery and air strikes to try to achieve their goals. Many of the targets struck have been civilian buildings, among them at least one coal power plant that was leveled in Okhtyrka, near Sumy in the northern part of the country. Prior to the invasion, one coal plant caught fire after being shelled by separatist forces in the Donbas region.
Russian forces also control at least one hydroelectric dam in the south of the country and are working to capture another north of Kyiv. Russian forces have additionally occupied the Chernobyl nuclear site since early in the conflict, though its four reactors are defunct.
Lazaro Gamio and Eleanor Lutz
March 4, 2022
Civilians try to escape as fight for Kyiv continues
As Russian forces tried to close in on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, thousands of people — mostly women and children — rushed to catch trains on Friday as explosions shook the city. Ukraine’s military said in a statement that the Russian army’s primary objective was now to encircle the capital.
Ground fighting
Airstrikes or fires
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Kozarovychi
Bridges
destroyed
Kyiv
Reservoir
Hostomel
Railways
Bucha
Irpin
Civilians are fleeing
to Kyiv from Irpin
Kyiv
Stoyanka
Main train
station
Cruise missile is
seen in parking lot
Railways southwest
of Kyiv remain open
5 miles
Markhalivka
Sources: Verified footage; satellite imagery. The New York Times
Much of the fighting on Friday took place on the northwestern outskirts of Kyiv, in and around the cities of Hostomel, Bucha and Irpin, as the Russian military tried to push closer to the capital.
Civilians in Irpin, where troops and a Russian tank were photographed on Friday, raced to catch trains heading southeast into the capital. A small airport in Hostomel was the site of a continuing battle.
People removed personal belongings from a burning house in Irpin, outside Kyiv, on March 4. Aris Messinis/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
In Kozarovychi, a village about 25 miles north of Kyiv, a base of Russian paratroopers was destroyed by Ukrainian artillery, according to local press. In Markhalivka, to the southwest, an airstrike hit a rural residential area, Ukrainian law enforcement officials said, killing at least seven people.
Several bridges have been destroyed around Kyiv, possibly by Ukrainian forces hoping to slow the advancement of Russian troops. In the capital on Friday, a silvery, metallic tail section of what appeared to be a cruise missile was seen in a parking lot.
Weiyi Cai, Keith Collins, Denise Lu and Yuliya Parshina-Kottas
March 4, 2022
Fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility
Zaporizhzhia nuclear complex
Reactors
Spray ponds
Spent fuel storage
Site of fire
Training center
Source: Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, imagery of the fire. Satellite image by Maxar via Google Earth The New York Times
A fire set off by fighting at Europe’s largest nuclear plant on Friday caused damage to a training facility about 1,500 feet from the nearest of the plant’s six nuclear reactors, according to an analysis of imagery of the fire.
The damage set off widespread fears of a radiological disaster, but international monitors said early Friday that there was no immediate sign that radiation had leaked from the Zaporizhzhia plant.
An image of fire and smoke coming from a training facility at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
Credit: NewsEnergodar via Telegram
There was also damage to “the structure of the reactor compartment” at one of the six reactors, which did not affect the safety of the unit, according to a statement by Ukrainian nuclear officials. It was unclear which reactor structure was damaged.
Russian troops took control of the facility after an intense gun battle on Friday. Although radiation levels did not appear to spike, there were many remaining dangers — from workers being able to do their critical jobs while the plant is occupied to the possibility of unreported damage at one of the reactors.
Besides the threat of fighting to Zaporizhzhia’s reactors and their cores full of highly radioactive fuel, the site has many acres of open pools of water where spent fuel rods have been cooled for years. Experts fear that errant shells or missiles that hit such sites could set off radiological disasters.
Russian forces are expected to continue to push north of the nuclear plant, toward the city of Zaporizhzhia. To the east, Russian troops have for days encircled the port city of Mariupol, a key point between the Donbas region, controlled by Russian-backed separatists, and the Russia-controlled Crimean Peninsula.
Areas occupied
Major front
Most recent advance
Previous advance
Dnipro
UKRAINE
Luhansk
Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Donetsk
Kryvyi Rih
Zaporizhzhia
Volnovakha
Mykolaiv is preparing for an imminent Russian attack.
Melitopol
Electricity, water and power are disrupted in Mariupol, which is under frequent shelling.
Kherson
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
RUSSIA
CRIMEA
Kyiv
Sevastopol
UKRAINE
Detail area
BLACK SEA
100 miles
Source: Institute for the Study of War with American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project (Russian-occupied areas) | Note: Occupied areas are as of 3 p.m. Eastern on March 3. The New York Times
If Russian forces take over the entire coast to the east of Crimea, Ukraine’s army east of the Dnieper River could be isolated, and Russia could control the Sea of Azov and its industrial infrastructure.
Allison McCann, Pablo Robles, Marco Hernandez and William J.Broad
March 4, 2022
The status of the Russian invasion
Areas occupied
Major front
Most recent advance
Previous advance
BELARUS
POLAND
Chernihiv
RUSSIA
Sumy
Lviv
Kyiv
SLOVAKIA
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
HUNGARY
Dnipro
Luhansk
Zaporizhzhia
Donetsk
Kryvyi Rih
MOLDOVA
Mykolaiv
Mariupol
Kherson
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
100 miles
BLACK SEA
BULGARIA
Source: Institute for the Study of War with American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project (Russian-occupied areas) | Note: Occupied areas are as of 3 p.m. Eastern on March 3. The New York Times
After nine days of fighting, Russia’s primary effort remains capturing Kyiv, the capital. But Russian forces continued to attack Ukraine on several other fronts, laying siege to cities and trying to control vital ports.
In the south, Russia appears to be intent on capturing Ukraine’s entire Black Sea coast, in an apparent attempt to cut it off from shipping. Russian troops pushing north from Crimea on Wednesday seized the strategically important southern port city of Kherson, the first major city to fall to the Russian military. Those troops are continuing to push west to another port city, Mykolaiv, and then are expected to target Odessa, according to an analysis from the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington research group.
Russia seized the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, near Zaporizhzhia, after intense fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces. A fire that had broken out there was extinguished, and radiation does not appear to have leaked, international monitors said.
Russian troops have also encircled the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, a key point between the Donbas region, controlled by Russian-backed separatists, and the Russia-controlled Crimean Peninsula. If Russian forces take over the area, Ukraine’s army east of the Dnieper River could face encirclement, and Russia would be able to take control of the Sea of Azov and its industrial infrastructure. The bombardment in Mariupol has cut power, water and heat to the people, the local mayor, Vadym Boichenko, said in a statement on Facebook.
In Kyiv, Russian forces pushing in from the western outskirts of the city have been met with strong Ukrainian resistance. Additional forces east of Kyiv are advancing toward the capital, according to the institute.
The second-largest city, Kharkiv, has been the site of heavy bombardment, with several civilian structures hit as Russians attempt to encircle the city. Videos of the city center verified by The New York Times show large buildings and storefronts with severe structural damage, as well as damage to residential buildings and schools on the outskirts of the city.
Weiyi Cai, Keith Collins, Lazaro Gamio, Denise Lu, Allison McCann, Scott Reinhard, Pablo Robles and Julie Walton Shaver
March 2, 2022
Russia captures major southern city and surrounds another
Ground fighting
Areas occupied by Russian forces
Luhansk
Dnipro
UKRAINE
Donetsk
Kryvyi Rih
Zaporizhzhia
Russian forces
surrounded and
bombarded Mariupol.
Nikopol
Ukrainian forces
are retreating to
Mykolaiv.
Rostov-on-Don
Russian forces
have seized
Kherson.
Berdiansk
Russian forces
captured Melitopol
on Feb. 25.
Odessa
SEA OF AZOV
Russian forces
destroyed a
dam on Feb. 26.
RUSSIA
CRIMEA
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Sevastopol
Detail area
BLACK SEA
50 miles
Source: Institute for the Study of War with American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project (Russian troop movements) | Note: Russian-occupied areas are as of 3 p.m. Eastern on March 2. The New York Times
The Black Sea port of Kherson, in the southern region of Ukraine, became the first major city to come under full control of Russian forces on Wednesday.
“There is no Ukrainian army here,” said Igor Kolykhaev, the city’s mayor. “The city is surrounded.”
Russian troops first approached the city on Friday and met heavy resistance. On Saturday, they destroyed a dam in the region that Ukraine had built in 2014 in order to cut off an important water source to Crimea.
Ukrainian forces retreated west toward Mykolaiv, Mr. Kolykhaev said. Russian forces are likely to head there in their drive to Odessa.
Gennady Trukhanov, the mayor of Odessa, backed by assessments from Ukraine’s military, said on Wednesday that Russia’s goal was likely to surround Odessa with land and naval forces, cutting off Ukraine’s access to the Black Sea and the country’s primary link to the global economy.
“My sense is that they will encircle Odessa and hold that position while they continue their assault on Kyiv,” Mr. Trukhanov said.
About 260 miles to the east of Kherson, Russian forces also have surrounded the port city of Mariupol by land and sea, and have been bombarding critical infrastructure and civilian targets, according to the Institute for the Study of War. Capturing Mariupol would allow Russian forces in the south to join with Russian-backed separatists in the east, isolating Ukrainian troops in the region.
Keith Collins, Denise Lu and Scott Reinhard
March 2, 2022
Where Russia has hit civilian structures in Kharkiv since Monday
Airstrikes or shelling
Russian forces occupy areas north of the city
UKRAINE
Kharkiv
Shevchenkivskyi
Commercial building
Residential and commercial buildings
Saltivka
Residential and commercial buildings
Administrative building
Kharkiv
University building
Nemyshlianskyi
Zhovtnevy
Residential building
Residential buildings
5 miles
Source: Ukrainian officials | Note: Airstrikes and shelling data are from Feb. 28 to March 2. The New York Times
The city of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine continued to be pummeled with airstrikes and shelling on Wednesday. Blasts or explosions have been reported in at least seven locations around the city since Monday. The head of the Kharkiv region said on Facebook that at least 20 people had been killed and 125 had been injured since Saturday.
The strikes and ensuing explosions over the last two days have damaged office buildings, a university building and residential districts in the city. On Tuesday, a large explosion struck directly in front of the Kharkiv’s administrative building, shown below. At least seven people were killed and another 24 were injured.
Kharkiv Regional State Administration
June 2015
Google Maps Street View
March 1, 2022
Pavel Dorogoy / Associated Press
After Russian ground forces failed to take control of Kharkiv on Friday, analysts say that Moscow is now focused on air, missile and artillery strikes before likely launching a renewed ground offensive.
On Wednesday, just after 8 a.m. local time, a missile strike damaged three buildings at one intersection: a building of Kharkiv National University, shown below; the police headquarters; and an office of the National Security Service. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported three people injured so far on Wednesday, with rescue work ongoing.
Faculty of Economics, Kharkiv National University
April 2018
Google Maps user image
March 2, 2022
State Emergency Service of Ukraine
These attacks followed the shelling of a residential neighborhood on Monday that killed at least nine people, including an Indian student studying medicine in Kharkiv.
National Police Headquarters
December 2021
Google Maps user image
March 2, 2022
Oleksandr Lapshyn / Reuters
About 1.5 million people live in the city of Kharkiv, according to the latest estimates, making it Ukraine’s second-largest city. Residents have sheltered in subway stations, basements and bunkers since the assault on the city began last week.
Agnes Chang, Lazaro Gamio, Pablo Robles, Marco Hernandez and Allison McCann
March 1, 2022
Russia’s shifting strategy in six days of attacks on Kyiv
Ground fighting
Areas occupied by Russian forces
RUS.
50 miles
Gomel
BELARUS
Mazyr
Chernihiv
Chernobyl
reactor
Failed attack
on Hostomel
UKRAINE
Detail
area
Kyiv
UKR.
Feb. 24
RUS.
Gomel
BELARUS
Mazyr
Russian
troops forced
to bypass
Chernihiv.
Dnieper R.
Ground assault
on Hostomel
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Feb. 25
RUS.
Gomel
BELARUS
Mazyr
Chernihiv
Russian troops
advance
from east.
Russian troops enter
outskirts of Kyiv.
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Feb. 26
RUS.
Gomel
BELARUS
Mazyr
Chernihiv
Troops advance
on both sides
of Dnieper River.
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Feb. 27
RUS.
Gomel
BELARUS
Mazyr
Chernihiv
Russia
deploys
additional
artillery and
troops to the
west of Kyiv.
Irpin
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Feb. 28
RUS.
Gomel
BELARUS
Mazyr
Chernihiv
Russian military
vehicles headed
toward Kyiv.
Russian forces
were seen in an
area east of Kyiv.
TV tower hit by
projectile in Kyiv
UKRAINE
March 1
Sources: Verified footage; satellite imagery; Institute for the Study of War with American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project (Russian troop movements) | Note: Russian-occupied areas for March 1 are as of 3 p.m. Eastern, and ground fighting and airstrikes data is as of 6:30 p.m. Russian-occupied areas are those assessed for each date and may change in subsequent assessments. The New York Times
In six days of fighting in Ukraine, Russian forces have seized territory in the county’s south and east but remain shut out of some major cities and the capital, Kyiv, prompting a ramped up effort to surround the city and an escalation of attacks on civilian infrastructure around the country.
The invasion, and the push into Kyiv, began on Feb. 24 local time with an early-morning campaign of airstrikes that aimed to take out Ukraine’s air power. Once military bases and airports across the country were struck, Russian forces began their assault from the border with Belarus, to the north of the capital.
On that first day of fighting, troops that entered from the northwest captured the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant, and Russian forces began moving toward Kyiv. Special forces and airborne troops were closing in on the capital by the end of the day but were met with a fierce defense mounted by Ukrainian forces.
Forces that entered Ukraine from the northeast also encountered heavy resistance in the city of Chernihiv, which lies on the road to Kyiv. By the second day, troops bypassed the city and headed south along the Dnieper River.
West of the river, Ukrainian troops withdrew from the Hostomel airport on Friday, and it was captured by Russian troops, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington research group. Ukrainian forces, however, appeared to have destroyed the airport’s runway, rendering it unusable.
Over the next several days, Russia bombarded Kyiv with missile strikes, and troops began pushing into the city from the northwest. The forces that had come from the northeast also advanced along the east bank of the Dnieper River, drawing closer to the capital.
Satellite images taken from Feb. 26 to Feb. 28 show bridges that were destroyed in and around Kyiv, some possibly by Ukrainian forces to slow the advancement of Russian troops.
Bridges destroyed in Ukraine
Irpin bridge
West of Kyiv
Stoyanka bridge
West of Kyiv
Kamaryn Slavutych border crossing
Belarus-Ukraine border
Desna River bridge
Chernihiv Oblast
Sources: Maxar Technologies and Planet Labs
Russian troops have now consolidated on two fronts, in the northwest and the northeast areas of Kyiv, and may attempt to cut off supply lines of arms and other military equipment arriving from European Union countries. Ukrainian forces have so far defended against incursions from Kyiv’s west, including an attack on the nearby city of Irpin on Monday.
As of Tuesday, the Russians had deployed heavy artillery and more forces to the area northwest of Kyiv, a likely prelude to the intense shelling that could soon befall the capital. A long convoy of Russian forces was also seen approaching the city. The convoy may aid in direct assaults on the city from the northwest, but it is more likely to bolster the effort to surround the city, particularly from the west, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
On the east side of the river on Tuesday, Russian vehicles reportedly moved east toward Bobrovytsia, the institute said, possibly to join the forces near Nizhyn, about 70 miles east of Kyiv.
Agnes Chang, Keith Collins, Lazaro Gamio, Denise Lu, Yuliya Parshina-Kottas, Scott Reinhard, Pablo Robles, Michael Schwirtz and Tim Wallace
March 1, 2022
Russia takes aim at civilian targets
Russia appeared to target civilian areas with increasingly powerful weapons on Tuesday, damaging major cities and dramatically raising the risk of civilian deaths.
A large explosion hit central Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, destroying a large administration building and killing at least seven people. A second attack in a residential neighborhood in Kharkiv destroyed a hospital and resulted in several deaths and injuries, the city’s mayor told a local television station. And video showed a projectile hitting the main radio and television tower in Kyiv, the capital, forcing television stations off the air, according to Ukrainian officials.
Ground fighting
Airstrikes or shelling
Areas occupied by Russian forces
BELARUS
Klintsy
Brest
RUSSIA
POLAND
Chernihiv
A projectile hit the main radio and television tower in the capital.
An enormous explosion hit the city’s central square.
Belgorod
Lviv
Kyiv
Okhtyrka
Boguchar
SLOVAKIA
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
HUNGARY
Dnipro
Luhansk
MOLDOVA
Donetsk
Zaporizhzhia
Mariupol
Rostov-on-Don
Tiraspol
Melitopol
Kherson
ROMANIA
Intense fighting for a critical port city that lacks heat and electricity.
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Krasnodar
Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.
BULGARIA
100 miles
BLACK SEA
Source: New York Times reporting; Institute for the Study of War. Russian-occupied areas as of 3:30 p.m. Eastern on Feb. 28. Ground fighting and airstrikes data as of 8:15 a.m. Eastern on March 1. Note: Russian forces in eastern Ukraine include Russian-backed separatists. The New York Times
Russian forces battled for control of two major cities in the south. Videos showed Russian troops patrolling Kherson and an explosion at an apartment building, although Ukrainians kept control, according to Janes, a company that analyzes intelligence. The mayor of Mariupol, a key port city, said residents lacked electricity and heat after days of intense fighting. Capturing Mariupol would allow Russian forces in the south to join with Russian-backed separatists in the east, isolating Ukrainian troops in the region.
Security footage of the apparent airstrike in Kharkiv showed what appeared to be a rocket hitting directly in front of the city’s administration building, creating a large fireball that engulfed several cars. The blast left behind a large crater near the city’s central square.
The New York Times
Outside of the capital, a convoy of Russian tanks and vehicles, now about 40 miles long, could still be seen in satellite images. A renewed assault on western Kyiv was likely to start again on Tuesday, according to an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War.
Maxar Technologies
Josh Holder, Marco Hernandez, Michael Schwirtz and Allison McCann
Updated March 1, 2022
More than half a million refugees flee Ukraine
Belarus
Fewer than 500
Poland
337,400
RUSSIA
Kyiv
Slovakia
30,000
Total refugees
At least 575,400
UKRAINE
Hungary
94,000
People
to Russia
129,000
Moldova
40,000
Romania
34,000
Other European
countries
34,000
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
BLACK SEA
100 miles
Source: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Data as of March 1. The New York Times
More than half a million refugees have fled Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began last week, according to the United Nations refugee agency. About half of them crossed Ukraine’s western border to Poland. Others have gone to Hungary, Moldova, Romania and Slovakia. Ukraine enacted martial law at the beginning of the conflict that requires men ages 18 to 60 to remain in the country.
For many refugees, these bordering countries could be a first stop of their journey. Romanian authorities said about half of those who had entered the country so far had already left for other European countries.
Evacuees from Ukraine at the train station in Zahony, Hungary, on Sunday. Laetitia Vancon for The New York Times
According to the refugee agency, an additional 129,000 people have reportedly been displaced to Russia from Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region since Feb. 18, when Russian-backed separatists there called for residents to evacuate to Russia as tensions escalated.
The refugee crisis is the most intense week of human flight within Europe’s borders since at least the Balkan wars of the 1990s. But in contrast to previous crises in Europe over the past decade, these refugees are being welcomed.
There are also reports of people who are unable to leave Ukraine. About 15,000 Indian citizens remained stranded at the start of the conflict, India’s foreign secretary told reporters late Sunday. The Indian government has managed to evacuate about 2,000 of them through border crossings with Ukraine’s neighboring countries.
Thousands of citizens of African countries, many of them medical and science students at Ukrainian universities, are also trapped in several Ukrainian cities. Somalia’s foreign minister said that his office had contacted countries such as Poland in an effort to provide legal entry to about 300 Somalis.
The United Nations says it is preparing for up to four million refugees from Ukraine in the coming days and weeks.
Agnes Chang, Marco Hernandez, Denise Lu and Scott Reinhard
Feb. 28, 2022
Russian rockets hit Kharkiv, and troops move to encircle Kyiv
Russian rockets on Monday hit a residential neighborhood in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, killing dozens of people, according to Ukrainian officials. Videos of the attacks appear to show the most aggressive targeting of a civilian area by Russian airstrikes since the invasion began five days ago.
Ukrainian forces retained control of major cities. But Russian troops have moved to towns west of Kyiv, the capital, including Borodianka, according to Ukrainian officials and videos of the fighting. The movement may be an attempt to encircle Kyiv and cut off supply lines of arms and other military equipment arriving from E.U. countries.
Ground fighting
Airstrikes
BELARUS
Klintsy
Brest
RUSSIA
Russian forces moved west of Kyiv, possibly trying to sever supply lines.
POLAND
Russian rocket attacks hit residential areas and killed dozens of civilians.
Chernihiv
Kursk
Belgorod
Lviv
Zhytomyr
Kyiv
Areas occupied by
Russian forces
as of Feb. 27.
Boguchar
SLOVAKIA
Kharkiv
Area of Donbas region held by
Russian-backed separatists
UKRAINE
HUNGARY
Dnipro
Luhansk
Kryvyi Rih
MOLDOVA
Donetsk
Zaporizhzhia
Mariupol
Mykolaiv
Rostov-on-Don
Tiraspol
Melitopol
ROMANIA
Kherson
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
Russian forces took control of Berdiansk.
CRIMEA
Krasnodar
Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.
BULGARIA
100 miles
BLACK SEA
Source: New York Times reporting; Institute for the Study of War. Russian-occupied areas as of 4 p.m. Eastern on Feb. 27. Ground fighting and airstrikes data as of 11:45 a.m. Eastern on Feb. 28. The New York Times
Russian troops in southern Ukraine continued to advance, capturing the coastal city of Berdiansk. Russian airstrikes hit Zaporizhzhia, up the Dnieper River, according to Ukrainian officials. And Russian officials claimed to take control of a nearby town, Enerhodar, although Ukrainian officials disputed this.
The rocket attacks in Kharkiv could be seen in videos posted to Telegram on Monday and verified by The New York Times. The number of casualties could not immediately be confirmed.
The New York Times
Talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials began in Belarus even as the fighting continued. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said before the meeting that he was not hopeful that the talks would end the hostilities.
Josh Holder, Allison McCann, Marco Hernandez, Haley Willis, Ainara Tiefenthäler and Michael Schwirtz
Feb. 27, 2022
Russia’s advance on Ukrainian cities is slowed by resistance
The Russian military’s push toward Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, slowed over the weekend. After rapid incursions toward Kyiv during the first two days of the invasion, Russian forces made limited new territorial gains. Instead, experts say Russia may have focused on moving additional combat supplies to the front lines.
Klintsy
Brest
BELARUS
RUSSIA
POLAND
Yelsk
Kursk
Chernihiv
Voronezh
Areas occupied by
Russian forces
as of Feb. 27.
Belgorod
Russian troop
movements
Kyiv
Lviv
Boguchar
SLOVAKIA
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Area of Donbas region held by
Russian-backed separatists
HUNGARY
Dnipro
Luhansk
Kryvyi Rih
Zaporizhzhia
Donetsk
MOLDOVA
Rostov-on-Don
Tiraspol
Melitopol
Mariupol
Kherson
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Krasnodar
Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.
100 miles
BULGARIA
BLACK SEA
Source: New York Times reporting; Institute for the Study of War (Russian-occupied areas). Data as of 4 p.m. Eastern on Feb. 27. The New York Times
The relative pause may stem from Russia previously underestimating Ukrainian forces, according to an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War. So far, Ukraine has held Russia out of several cities including Kyiv and Kharkiv. Footage analyzed by The New York Times showed Russian forces advancing closer than previously seen to the center of Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, but they were mostly pushed back.
In the country’s south, forces have continued to advance north toward Zaporizhzhia and have encircled Mariupol, beginning initial assaults on the port city. Despite Russian-backed separatist control of the Donbas region in the country’s east, Russian and separatist troops have not made major advances against Ukrainian forces there.
Experts predict strong Russian attacks will resume in the coming days as Russia commits more resources to the offensive. And even as talks between Ukraine and Russia neared, satellite imagery on Sunday showed a miles-long convoy of hundreds of Russian military vehicles bearing down on Kyiv.
Maxar Technologies
High civilian casualties may also be likely in the coming days if the Russian military continues its push into densely populated urban areas. The Ukrainian Interior Ministry said on Sunday that 352 civilians have been killed, including 14 children.
Lauren Leatherby and Scott Reinhard
Feb. 26, 2022
Three regions where Russian forces are pushing into Ukraine
Russia has established attack lines into three regions of Ukraine: toward Kyiv, the capital, from the north; toward Kharkiv, from the northeast; and fanning out from Crimea in the south. Ukraine has also fought Russian-backed separatists in the Donbas region to the east.
Klintsy
BELARUS
Brest
RUSSIA
POLAND
Yelsk
Kursk
Chernihiv
Voronezh
Areas occupied by
Russian forces
as of Feb. 26.
Belgorod
Russian troop
movements
Kyiv
Lviv
Boguchar
SLOVAKIA
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Area of Donbas region held by
Russian-backed separatists
HUNGARY
Dnipro
Luhansk
Kryvyi Rih
Zaporizhzhia
MOLDOVA
Donetsk
Rostov-on-Don
Tiraspol
Melitopol
Mariupol
Kherson
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Krasnodar
Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.
BULGARIA
100 miles
BLACK SEA
Source: New York Times reporting; Institute for the Study of War (Russian-occupied areas). Data as of 1 p.m. Eastern on Feb. 26. The New York Times
Russian forces pushed toward Kyiv from the north and east, but had yet to take the capital on Saturday after heavy shelling and intense fighting. After failing to capture Chernihiv, Russian troops moved around the city toward Kyiv, according to an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War, a research group in Washington.
Ground fighting or explosions
RUSSIA
Kalinkavichy
Senkivka
BELARUS
Mazyr
Chojniki
Ripky
Horodnya
Snovsk
Koryukivka
Velyki Osnyaky
Rivnopillya
Berezna
Chernihiv
Mena
Ovruch
Chernobyl
reactor
Areas occupied by
Russian forces
as of Feb. 26.
Russian forces were stopped short of Kyiv’s eastern outskirts.
Nizhyn
Korosten
Nosivka
Ground troops entered the outskirts of Kyiv on the west bank of the Dnieper River.
Kozelets
Kyiv
Reservoir
Malyn
UKRAINE
Detail area
Hostomel
Obolon
Kyiv
Bridges destroyed
UKRAINE
Berezan
20 miles
Sources: New York Times reporting; Ukrainian officials; Institute for the Study of War The New York Times
Troops crossed the Russian border at several points and advanced toward Kharkiv, the second-largest city in Ukraine. On Friday, the fighting appeared to center a few miles outside the city limits, near the village of Tsyrkuny. A Kharkiv government Telegram account on Saturday said Russian troops were being fought at multiple points to the north and southeast of the city.
Ground fighting, munitions or explosions
Ground troops pushed
into Ukraine across a
wide stretch of the
Russian border.
RUSSIA
Sumy
Belgorod
A cluster warhead was found
embedded in the ground.
Areas occupied by
Russian forces
as of Feb. 26.
Vovchansk
Okhtyrka
Tsyrkuny
UKRAINE
Shelling
Kharkiv
Chuguiv
Detail area
Kyiv
UKRAINE
20 miles
Sources: New York Times reporting; Ukrainian officials; Institute for the Study of War
Russian forces coming from Crimea pushed north toward Zaporizhzhia and east toward Mariupol. There has been heavy fighting on a bridge in the city of Kherson, and Russian troops blew up a dam on the North Crimean Canal, built by Ukraine in 2014 to block Crimean water supply from the Dnieper River.
Ground fighting or explosions
Zaporizhzhia
UKRAINE
Mariupol
Mykolaiv
Ten civilians “of Greek origin” were killed by Russian airstrikes near Mariupol.
Melitopol
MOLDOVA
Kherson
Odessa
Areas occupied by
Russian forces
as of Feb. 26.
Russian forces destroyed a dam that was built to stop the flow of water to Crimea.
SEA OF AZOV
CRIMEA
BLACK SEA
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Sevastopol
Detail
area
50 miles
Sources: New York Times reporting; Ukrainian officials; Institute for the Study of War; East View Geospatial (urban area data)
A majority of the more than 150,000 Russian forces massed against Ukraine are now fighting in the country, a senior Pentagon official said on Saturday, up from about one-third on Friday.
Larry Buchanan, Weiyi Cai, Agnes Chang, Keith Collins, Blacki Migliozzi, Yuliya Parshina-Kottas, Jugal K. Patel, Josh Williams, Michael Schwirtz and Andrew E. Kramer
Feb. 26, 2022
Fighting intensifies across Kyiv
Ukrainian forces put up a fierce battle on Saturday to hold Kyiv, the capital, as Russian troops pressed in from all directions. What until three days ago had been a thriving European metropolis has been transformed into a battle zone.
Ground fighting or explosions
Kyiv
Peremohy Ave.
Clashes
Maidan Square
Kyiv Zoo
Clashes
Train
station
Residential
building
Kyiv
UKRAINE
5 miles
The New York Times
While Ukrainian forces appeared to keep control, fighting reached the city center before appearing to quiet later on Saturday. Combat was seen 400 yards from Maidan Square, according to Ukrainska Pravda, a Ukrainian news site, citing witnesses. There were reports of clashes near the city’s train station closer to the center, according to the witness accounts.
Intense fighting could be seen along Peremohy Avenue, a main thoroughfare. Videos verified by The Times showed vehicles on fire on the street in the neighborhood of Shuliavka, near the Kyiv Zoo.
The New York Times
A residential building was struck by a missile in southwestern Kyiv on Saturday morning, injuring at least a half dozen people.
The New York Times
Russia has established attack lines into three cities — Kyiv in the north, Kharkiv in the northeast and Kherson in the south — and Ukrainian troops are fighting to hold all three.
Keith Collins, Pablo Robles, Andrew E. Kramer, Christoph Koettl, Brenna Smith, Dmitriy Khavin, Muyi Xiao, Malachy Browne and Sarah Kerr
Feb. 25, 2022
Russian forces enter Kyiv, but they are held back on some other fronts
Russian troops have pushed into Ukraine along the country’s southern, eastern and northern borders, but the operation has encountered more resistance from Ukrainian forces farther north in Kyiv and Kharkiv, the country’s two largest cities.
Klintsy
BELARUS
Brest
RUSSIA
POLAND
Yelsk
Kursk
Chernihiv
Voronezh
Areas occupied by
Russian forces
as of Feb. 25.
Kyiv
Belgorod
Lviv
Boguchar
Kharkiv
SLOVAKIA
UKRAINE
Held by Russian-
backed separatists.
HUNGARY
Dnipro
Luhansk
Kryvyi Rih
MOLDOVA
Donetsk
Rostov-on-Don
Tiraspol
Melitopol
Mariupol
Kherson
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Krasnodar
Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.
BULGARIA
100 miles
BLACK SEA
Source: Institute for the Study of War. Data as of 1 p.m. Eastern on Feb. 25. The New York Times
Moscow’s forces entered the western outskirts of Kyiv, the capital, but failed to penetrate the city’s eastern side as of Friday evening local time, according to an independent analysis of the conflict by the Institute for the Study of War, a research group in Washington. Ukrainian forces also prevented Russian troops from taking Chernihiv, a city northeast of Kyiv.
Ukraine’s military said Russian soldiers entered a northern district of Kyiv earlier on Friday and that “sabotage groups” were operating in the city. Intelligence reports from the Pentagon and Britain’s Ministry of Defense said Russia was attempting to encircle the capital.
In the Donbas region to the east, Ukrainian forces held the line of contact with Russian-backed separatist groups there, the Institute for the Study of War analysis said. Near Crimea in the south, Russian forces were reported to have captured the city of Kherson.
Marco Hernandez and Denise Lu
Feb. 25, 2022
Russia takes aim at Kyiv
After heavy shelling and ground fighting in cities and towns across Ukraine on Thursday, Russia turned its attention to Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, on Friday. Missile strikes hammered Kyiv overnight, and a Russian rocket fragment landed on a residential building, injuring at least three people, the city’s mayor said.
Ground fighting or explosions
Kyiv
Reservoir
Hostomel
Bridge
destroyed
Kyiv Thermal
Power Plant
Minsk Massif
Obolon
Bridge
destroyed
Kyiv
Mariyinsky Palace
Darnytskyi
Kyiv
UKRAINE
5 miles
Sources: New York Times reporting; Ukrainian officials The New York Times
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said on Thursday that Russian forces had attempted to land along the Kyiv reservoir. And on Friday morning, the ministry said that Russian troops had entered the Obolon district, a few miles north of the city center. Ukrainian officials said on Twitter that Kyiv residents should “prepare Molotov cocktails” to deter “the occupier.”
Explosions were heard throughout the city, and Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on social media that five explosions appeared to come from the Kyiv Thermal Power Plant No. 6, in the northeast.
Video and photographs verified by The New York Times appear to show two bridges that lead to Kyiv were destroyed — their demolition a new tactic that Ukraine seemed to be using to defend the capital.
The New York Times
The Times was able to verify that two crossings, on the city’s northern and western edges, were destroyed in what appeared to be an attempt to slow down the advancing Russian forces.
Confirmed reports of ground fighting or explosions
RUSSIA
Detail area
UKRAINE
Ripky
Horodnya
Chojniki
Snovsk
Koryukivka
Velyki Osnyaky
BELARUS
Rivnopillya
Chernihiv
Berezna
Mena
Ovruch
Chernobyl
reactor
Kalinkavichy
Mazyr
Nizhyn
UKRAINE
Korosten
Nosivka
Ivankiv
Kozelets
Kyiv
Reservoir
Malyn
Hostomel
Radomyshl
Kyiv
Bridges destroyed to
slow Russian advance
Berezan
Zhytomyr
Dnieper R.
20 miles
Fastiv
Sources: New York Times reporting; Ukrainian officials The New York Times
With its focus now on the capital, Moscow made clear that its goal was to topple the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky. Russia also said that it had taken control of the territory around the former Chernobyl nuclear plant, about 80 miles north of Kyiv.
Lazaro Gamio, Josh Holder, Pablo Robles, Agnes Chang, Allison McCann, Yuliya Parshina-Kottas and Blacki Migliozzi
Feb. 24, 2022
Where Russia’s land invasion followed air attacks
Fighting continued across Ukraine on Thursday as Russian troops advanced into the country from the northeastern border, the east and the south. As the sun set in the country, special forces and airborne troops were closing in on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. Ukrainian officials said in a statement that some civilian targets had come under fire and that Russian forces had seized the former nuclear power plant at Chernobyl.
Ground fighting or incursions
BELARUS
Russian troops
moved toward
Kyiv, the capital.
Brest
Chernobyl was said
to be under Russian
forces’ control.
RUSSIA
Kursk
POLAND
Voronezh
Chernobyl
Kyiv
Lviv
Valuyki
SLOVAKIA
Kharkiv
Soldiers closed
in on Kharkiv.
UKRAINE
Millerovo
HUNGARY
Previous line
of contact
Luhansk
Dnipro
Donetsk
MOLDOVA
Claimed by
Russian-backed
separatists
Mariupol
Tiraspol
Odessa
ROMANIA
SEA OF
AZOV
Russian troops
landed in the port
city of Odessa.
CRIMEA
Zmiinyi
Island
100 miles
BLACK SEA
BULGARIA
Sources: New York Times reporting; Ukrainian officials The New York Times
At least 137 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians had been killed, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Russia lost two helicopters and seven aircraft in combat, officials said.
The ground invasion followed heavy shelling and airstrikes that began just before dawn local time. Those attacks had targeted cities, airports and military infrastructure across Ukraine.
Airstrikes or fires reported
BELARUS
Brest
RUSSIA
POLAND
Yelsk
Kursk
Chernihiv
Lutsk
Kyiv
Belgorod
Lviv
Kharkiv
SLOVAKIA
UKRAINE
Millerovo
HUNGARY
Dnipro
Kryvyi Rih
Previous line
of contact
MOLDOVA
Claimed by
Russian-backed
separatists
Tiraspol
Mariupol
Kherson
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
Korenovsk
CRIMEA
100 miles
Sevastopol
BLACK SEA
BULGARIA
Sources: New York Times reporting; Ukrainian officials The New York Times
Russia’s Defense Ministry said that it had disabled Ukraine’s air defenses and air bases and that Russian forces had destroyed more than 70 military targets, including 11 airfields, a helicopter and four drones.
Josh Holder, Scott Reinhard, Allison McCann, Marco Hernandez, Keith Collins, Denise Lu and Yuliya Parshina-Kottas
Feb. 24, 2022
Russia carries out a large-scale invasion of Ukraine
On the first day of the first major land war in Europe in decades, the Russian military plunged into Ukraine by land, sea and air. Russia shelled more than a dozen cities and towns, including outside the capital, Kyiv. Russian troops moved across the Ukrainian border in several waves, landing in the port city of Odessa in the south and crossing the eastern border into Kharkiv, the second-largest city.
Airstrikes or attacks
BELARUS
Russian troops crossed the border moving toward Kyiv, the capital.
Brest
RUSSIA
POLAND
Yelsk
Kursk
Chernihiv
Lutsk
Kyiv
Claimed by
separatists, held
by Ukraine
Belgorod
Lviv
Kharkiv
SLOVAKIA
UKRAINE
Millerovo
HUNGARY
Dnipro
Kryvyi Rih
MOLDOVA
Line of contact
Held by
separatists
Tiraspol
Kherson
Mariupol
Odessa
ROMANIA
SEA OF
AZOV
Russian troops landed in the port city of Odessa.
Korenovsk
CRIMEA
100 miles
Sevastopol
BLACK SEA
BULGARIA
Sources: New York Times reporting; Ukrainian officials | Data as of 1:30 p.m., Feb. 24. The New York Times
Troops moved into an area north of Kyiv, advancing on Chernihiv, about 80 miles from the capital. And they touched off a pitched battle at the highly radioactive Chernobyl exclusion zone that risked damaging the concrete-encased nuclear reactor that melted down in 1986. By sunset, Russian special forces and airborne troops had seized the Chernobyl site and were pushing into the outskirts of Kyiv.
Some of the most intense fighting was outside of Kharkiv in the northeast, according to a senior U.S. Defense Department official. A video suggested that at least one residential building in the area was destroyed.
And a satellite photo taken by Planet Labs on Thursday morning showed a fire and black smoke rising from the Chuhuiv Air Base outside of Kharkiv.
Chuhuiv air base, outside of Kharkiv. Planet Labs
Russian forces so far have been striking Ukrainian military installations and air-defense targets, using more than 100 medium- and short-range ballistic missiles, the defense official said. Russia has also used sea-launched missiles from warships in the Black Sea.
Satellite images taken before the offensive began show some of the locations hit by airstrikes.
Kharkiv
Chuhuiv residential building
Zaporizhzhia
Melitopol airfield
Zhytomyr
Ozerne airfield
Chernihiv
Nizhyn airfield
Volyn
Lutsk airfield
Khmelnytskyi
Khmelnytskyi airport
Donetsk
Kramatorsk airport
Kyiv
Hostomel airport
Khmelnytskyi
Starokostiantyniv military unit
Ivano-Frankivsk
Ivano-Frankivsk military unit
Sources: Ukrainian officials; New York Times reporting; Google Earth (satellite images)
In the south, at least 18 Ukrainian military officials were killed in an attack outside Odessa, where amphibious commandos from the Russian Navy came ashore on Thursday, according to Sergey Nazarov, an aide to Odessa’s mayor. In the east, Russian-backed separatists fought Ukrainian troops along the front line that has divided the rebels and Ukrainian forces since 2014.
The Russian military also moved north from Crimea, headed in the direction of Kherson.
Footage captured by security cameras at a border crossing Thursday morning showed Russian military vehicles entering from Crimea.
The New York Times
The Russian attacks began just minutes after President Vladimir V. Putin delivered a speech declaring the beginning of a military operation in Ukraine, and as the United Nations Security Council met in New York.
Keith Collins, Lazaro Gamio, Josh Holder, Scott Reinhard, Allison McCann, Agnes Chang, Pablo Robles and Marco Hernandez
Feb. 22, 2022
How Russian troops closed in on Ukraine
Since October, Russia has been building an enormous military force along Ukraine’s border, with as many as 190,000 troops in or near Ukraine, according to American and Ukrainian officials. The Russian troop presence has grown in recent weeks from scattered groupings parked at military bases and training grounds to battle-ready units arrayed in tactical formations. They appear prepared to attack Ukraine from three directions, according to military analysts: the north, east and south.
Here's where Russia has added forces during the current buildup:
1
Prior to current buildup
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Existing positions
POL.
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Held by Russian-
backed forces
MOLDOVA
ROMANIA
CRIMEA
250 miles
2
Dec. 29
New military presence
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Kyiv
UKRAINE
3
Jan. 25
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Kyiv
UKRAINE
4
Feb. 20
BELARUS
RUSSIA
Kyiv
UKRAINE
Source: Troop positions from Rochan Consulting Note: Troops in eastern Ukraine and Transnistria include Russian-backed separatists. The New York Times
In recent weeks, Russia has deployed the final components needed to conduct a large-scale military operation against Ukraine. The force includes fighter aircraft and attack helicopters, along with elite paratrooper units and special forces troops that would typically serve as the tip of the spear in any invasion plans, military experts say.
Troops deployed to the north in Belarus could quickly reach the capital, Kyiv, and Russian Naval forces in the Black Sea could menace Ukraine’s southern coast. Most military analysts and officials believe that any attack will begin with a heavy incursion into Ukraine’s east, in the vicinity of two breakaway territories that Russia has long supplied with troops and arms.
1Prior to current buildup: Russia has numerous military bases near its border with Ukraine and added several installations inside Crimea after 2014, when it annexed the territory. Russian troops are also stationed in Transnistria, a Russian-backed breakaway region of Moldova.
2December 2021: Toward the end of last year, Russia began moving troops, tanks and heavy artillery into new positions across the country. Much of that buildup focused on two breakaway provinces in eastern Ukraine, Donetsk and Luhansk, where the Ukrainian military has been at war with Russian-backed separatists since 2014.
3January: Russia started moving equipment and troops into Belarus, a close ally, in preparation for joint military drills. Russian forces in Belarus might allow Russia to open a new front on Ukraine's northern border, closer to the capital, Kyiv.
4February: Russian officials announced a partial withdrawal of troops, though U.S. officials disputed this claim and said Russia had increased its presence instead. Units from the Central and Eastern Military Districts, which are some of Russia's most advanced, remain deployed.
Josh Holder, Allison McCann, Scott Reinhard and Michael Schwirtz
Feb. 21, 2022
Donetsk and Luhansk: breakaway regions at the center of the conflict
President Vladimir V. Putin recognized the independence of two territories in eastern Ukraine, Luhansk and Donetsk, that are largely controlled by Russian-backed separatists. Shortly after, Russian troops were ordered into the area, a move that threatens to sharply escalate the conflict with Ukraine and could be a prelude to a broader invasion.
Belgorod
Detail area
Kyiv
Valuyki
UKRAINE
Boguchar
Kharkiv
Poltava
RUSSIA
Claimed by separatists,
held by Ukraine
UKRAINE
Millerovo
LUHANSK
Dnipro
Line of
contact
Held by
Russian-backed
separatists
Zaporizhzhia
DONETSK
Volgodonsk
Shakhty
Rostov-on-Don
Mariupol
SEA OF
AZOV
50 miles
The New York Times
The separatist enclaves claim all of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions as their territory, but they control only about one-third of the area. It was not immediately clear whether Mr. Putin would recognize the enclaves in their de facto borders or would seek to expand them by force.
Ukraine and the rest of the world view the enclaves as Ukrainian territory. The Russian-backed separatists in the region have been embroiled in a long-running conflict with Ukrainian forces.
See our full story on the two regions that might spark conflict.
Blacki Migliozzi and Lazaro Gamio
Feb. 19, 2022
Shelling intensifies in Eastern Ukraine
Over the past several days, artillery barrages continued to target areas in east Ukraine. Shelling targeted the region around the town of Svitlodarsk — an area that includes key infrastructure such as a drinking water supply network and one of Europe’s largest fertilizer factories.
Russian military positions
Yelnya
Minsk
Ukraine
Baranovichi
Russia-Belarus
mock battle
BELARUS
Pochep
RUSSIA
Mazyr
Kursk
POLAND
Kyiv
Lviv
Kharkiv
UKRAINE
Luhansk
Svitlodarsk
Dnipro
Artillery fire
Donetsk
Kryvyi Rih
MOLDOVA
Rostov-on-Don
Tiraspol
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
CRIMEA
Sevastopol
200 miles
BLACK SEA
Source: Russian positions from Rochan Consulting as of Feb. 16. The New York Times
And at a military training ground in Baranovichi, Belarus, Russian and Belarusian forces conducted a mock battle in a joint exercise. The 10-day joint military exercises are scheduled to end on Sunday.
Eleanor Lutz and Jugal K. Patel
Feb. 19, 2022
Where Russia’s military is positioned around Ukraine
Russia strengthened its military presence around Ukraine in January and February, with new deployments of troops and military equipment in multiple locations, including Crimea, Belarus and near Eastern Ukraine, furthering fears of an imminent invasion.
Russian military positions as of Feb. 16
Yelnya
Minsk
Shchuchyn
Ukraine
Asipovichy
Baranovichi
BELARUS
Pochep
Klintsy
Brest
Klimovo
Rechytsa
RUSSIA
Mazyr
POLAND
Yelsk
Kursk
Pogonovo
Vesyolaya Lopan
Kyiv
Lviv
Soloti
Boguchar
Kharkiv
SLOVAKIA
UKRAINE
Kremenchuk
Volgograd
Dnipro
Luhansk
HUNGARY
Kryvyi Rih
Donetsk
MOLDOVA
Tiraspol
ROMANIA
Odessa
SEA OF
AZOV
Korenovsk
CRIMEA
Novoozerne
SERBIA
Feodosia
BLACK SEA
Perevalnoye
Sevastopol
200 miles
Source: Russian positions from Rochan Consulting The New York Times
Troops, tanks and heavy artillery have moved into positions that threaten to widen the conflict in Ukraine’s east and potentially open a new front on Ukraine’s northern border, closer to its capital, Kyiv. It provides a snapshot of current Russian positions. It is based on information obtained by Ukrainian and Western officials as well as independent military analysts and satellite imagery.
Eleanor Lutz, Jugal K. Patel and Scott Reinhard
Feb. 15, 2022
Europe’s reliance on Russian gas could be reshaped
Europe relies on Russia’s natural gas to help heat millions of homes, generate electricity and power factories. With Russian troops massed along Ukraine’s border, the continent’s heavy dependence on Russia is limiting its diplomatic options and threatening to throw its energy supplies into turmoil.
Imports of gas from Russia to E.U. countries
Share of country’s natural gas imports from Russia, 2020
None
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Finland
Sweden
Estonia
Russia
Latvia
Denmark
Gas exports
Lithuania
Ireland
Netherlands
U.K.
Poland
Germany
Czech
Rep.
Belgium
Arrow width proportional
to country’s total gas imports
from Russia.
Lux.
Slovakia
France
Hungary
Romania
Slovenia
Croatia
Italy
Bulgaria
Spain
Portugal
Greece
Cyprus
Source: EuroStat and the British Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy Note: Austria did not report the source of its natural gas imports in 2020. Data includes both piped and liquefied natural gas. The New York Times
If the flow of gas is interrupted, either as collateral damage from warfare or as a negotiating tactic by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, experts worry that already high prices in a constantly shifting global market could skyrocket. Businesses may be forced to close temporarily, and if cutoffs persist, households already facing higher utility bills this winter could feel even more pain.
See our full story on Europe’s reliance on Russian gas.
Josh Holder, Karl Russell and Stanley Reed
Notes on disputed areas shown on the maps
Crimea was invaded and annexed by Russia in 2014. The action was widely condemned under international law, and the territory remains disputed.
Eastern Ukraine has been in conflict since 2014 with fighting between the Ukrainian military and Russian-backed separatists. The dotted line in the eastern region of Ukraine shows the approximate dividing line between the two sides.
Transnistria, a Russian-backed breakaway region, lies on the eastern edge of Moldova.
Reporting was contributed by Matthew Bloch, Malachy Browne, Benjamin Foley, Lauryn Higgins, Evan Hill, Valerie Hopkins, Danielle Ivory, Dmitriy Khavin, Christoph Koettl, Yuliya Parshina-Kottas, Cierra S. Queen, Jess Ruderman, Julie Walton Shaver, Rachel Shorey, Brenna Smith, Ainara Tiefenthaler, Christiaan Triebert, Tim Wallace, Kristine White, Haley Willis, Bonnie G. Wong and Muyi Xiao.
Correction: Feb. 22, 2022
An earlier version of the map showing two breakaway regions at the center of the conflict in eastern Ukraine misidentified a city near the border in Russia. It is Belgorod, not Kursk.
Correction: March 3, 2022
A previous image of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration building was incorrectly labeled as the Regional Office of Security Service of Ukraine.
READ 346 COMMENTS
Give this article
346
Our Coverage of the Russia-Ukraine War
Ukrainians and the War
Vladyslav Heraskevych, a skeleton competitor from Ukraine at the Beijing Olympics, is finding ways to make himself useful in the war effort as he waits to be called to military duty.
The war never stops in Huliaipole, a town on the front lines in eastern Ukraine, where residents wonder where the next Russian shell will land.
Ukrainians have been shaken by reports that saboteurs working for Russia are trying to sow confusion and fuel misinformation. As a result, they think they are seeing spies everywhere.
Russians and the War
Polls and interviews show that many Russians, after the initial shock of the invasion, now accept the Kremlin’s assertion that their country is under siege from the West.
Life for climate activists in Russia, often targeted by the police and facing restrictions to their right to protest, was already tough. When Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, it got worse.
On the Diplomatic Front
Turkey expects to bring together the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine in the coming weeks, after hosting talks between representatives of both sides.
A seemingly arcane diplomatic notion has been circulating in Europe’s corridors of power: Giving Ukraine “security guarantees” to enable an agreement with Moscow. Here is what that means.
How We Verify Our Reporting
The Times has deployed dozens of journalists to report on the ground in Ukraine, to cut through the fog of misinformation.
Our team of visual journalists analyzes satellite images, photographs,videos and radio transmissions to independently confirm troop movements and other details.
We monitor and authenticate reports on social media, corroborating these with eyewitness accounts and interviews. Read more about our reporting efforts.
Understand What Is Going On
Avoiding Misinformation: Here are warning signs to look for before you retweet information about the war.
Dig Deeper: Understand the history of the relationship between Russia and Ukraine, the causes of the conflict and the weapons that are being used.
Potential Impact: The fate of Ukraine could have enormous implications for the world. Learn more about what’s at stake and how the energy sector is already affected by the war.
Outside Pressures: Governments and businesses are taking steps to punish Russia. Here are some of the sanctions adopted so far and a list of companies pulling out of the country.
Stay Updated: To receive the latest updates on the war in your inbox, sign up here. The Times has also launched a Telegram channel to make its journalism more accessible around the world.
More in World News
A Moscow theater building with the letter Z, signifying support for the war.
Yuri Kochetkov/EPA, via Shutterstock
Shaken at First, Many Russians Now Rally Behind Putin’s Invasion
20m ago
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia attending a meeting with young award-winning culture professionals via videoconference in Moscow, on Friday.
Pool photo by Mikhail Klimentyev
Why Putin name-checked J.K. Rowling
March 31
Sammy Basso training with his runners club, a group of friends and fans who run marathons to support progeria awareness.
Nadia Shira Cohen for The New York Times
Living With Gusto Despite a Rare, Fatal Disease, and Hunting for Answers
2h ago
The derelict Gloucester Street Laundry in Dublin, the last of Ireland’s infamous “Magdalene laundries,” in 2018.
Paulo Nunes dos Santos for The New York Times
Ireland’s Last ‘Magdalene Laundry’ Will Become a Memorial
11h ago
An isolation facility for people with Covid-19 being built on the site of a former airport runway in Hong Kong.
Jerome Favre/EPA, via Shutterstock
In Hong Kong, China’s Covid Aid Gets the Cold Shoulder
March 31
Ukrainian fighters of the Odin Unit, including some foreign fighters from the United States and Britain, waiting to advance during a clearing-out operation of remaining Russian forces on Tuesday in Irpin, Ukraine.
Daniel Berehulak for The New York Times
In Kyiv Suburb, Ukrainian Military Claims a Big Prize
March 29
Editors’ Picks
Merrill and Zak Leedom near their new Los Angeles-area apartment, which they found after moving from Columbus, Ohio. “I love the sun and being out in the fresh air,” Ms. Leedom said. “It’s really hard to do that for many months of the year in the Midwest, especially during Covid, when things weren’t open and it was gray and cold and snowy.”
Beth Coller for The New York Times
Two Midwest Transplants Get a ‘Price Shock’ in Southern California. Which Home Would You Choose?
March 31
Annie Rauwerda, the creator of @depthsofwikipedia, in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Elaine Cromie for The New York Times
Want to See the Weirdest of Wikipedia? Look No Further.
March 31
“Deep Water,” starring Ana de Armas and Ben Affleck and directed by the master of the erotic thriller, Adrian Lyne, proves neither erotic nor thrilling.
Claire Folger/20th Century Studios and Hulu
When the Master of the Erotic Thriller Fails to Thrill
March 30
Most Popular
Opinion: I Keep Hoping Larry Summers Is Wrong. What if He’s Not?
Spreadsheets, Interplanetary Travel and Housekeeping
Cannabis for Better Sex? Here’s What the Science Says.
How We Verified Russian Radio Chatter
5 Fetuses Removed From Home of Anti-Abortion Activist, Group Says
She Took the White House Photos. Trump Moved to Take the Profit.
California to Parole Man Who Kidnapped 26 Children on School Bus
Researchers Find Another Clue in the Dyatlov Pass Mystery
A Childhood Home of Gloria Vanderbilt Finally Finds a Buyer
Family’s Balcony Death in Switzerland Appears to Be Suicide, Police Say
ADVERTISEMENT
Continue reading the main story
Site Index
Site Information Navigation
© 2022 The New York Times Company
NYTCoContact UsAccessibilityWork with usAdvertiseT Brand StudioYour Ad ChoicesPrivacy PolicyTerms of ServiceTerms of SaleSite MapHelpSubscriptions
|
| The text being discussed is available at | https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/world/europe/ukraine-maps.html and |