Timeline of significant events in the Ukraine conflict
Editor's note:
The conflict in Ukraine is now entering its second month. While some countries are trying to deescalate the crisis by facilitating dialogue and negotiations, a few countries in the West are adding fuel to the fire by supplying weapons to one party in the conflict. This makes it hard to predict how the crisis might develop.
Shanghai Daily has compiled a timeline of significant events since the conflict began.
Week 1: February 21- February 27
February 21
Russian President Vladimir Putin signs two decrees recognizing "the Lugansk People's Republic" and "the Donetsk People's Republic" as independent and sovereign states, deploying peacekeeping forces in the two regions the same day.
February 23
The Ukrainian Parliament supports a bill to declare a state of emergency.
February 24
Putin authorizes "a special military operation" in response to an appeal by the leaders of the republics in the Donbass region.
Ukraine severs diplomatic relations with Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy declares martial law in response to Russia's military operation.
US President Joe Biden announces additional sanctions against Russia and the deployment of more troops to Europe as the conflict in Ukraine continues to evolve.
February 25
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Zelenskiy, said that Russian forces had seized the Chernobyl nuclear plant.
Zelenskiy order a full military mobilization that would last 90 days. He reiterates his call for Putin to hold talks to stop the conflict. Putin says Russia is ready to hold high-level negotiations with Ukraine.
That night, Zelenskiy says in a video message that a total of 137 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and another 316 injured on the first day of the conflict.
The Chinese Embassy in Kiev issues a notice in preparation for the evacuation of Chinese nationals from Ukraine.
February 26
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov says the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 821 Ukrainian military facilities.
Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Liashko says that 198 Ukrainians have been killed in the Russian operation.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says that Kiev has refused to talks with Moscow, causing Russian forces to resume operations in Ukraine.
February 27
The White House announces the United States, joined by some European nations and Canada, will remove some Russian banks from SWIFT, the payment system used for most international financial transactions.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announces that the EU will shut its airspace to Russian airlines.
Ukraine agrees to hold talks with Russia at the Belarusian-Ukrainian border near the Pripyat River, Zelenskiy says via social media.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is seen on the screen delivering a speech via video conference to the US Congress at the Capitol in Washington, DC, the United States on March 16.
Week 2: February 28-March 6
February 28
Russia and Ukraine conduct their first round of negotiations in Belarus, without reaching a clear breakthrough.
Putin says it is important to recognize "Russia's sovereignty over Crimea," as well as the country's commitment to solving the tasks of Ukraine's "demilitarization and denazification," and the issue of Ukraine's neutral status. Ukraine's key demands are an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of all Russian troops.
Russia says it has taken control of the entire airspace of Ukraine.
China starts to evacuate its nationals from Ukraine. The Chinese embassy also says that it is working with the Chinese embassies in Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland to help Chinese nationals go to those countries.
March 1
Biden announces that the United States will close its airspace to all Russian planes in response to Moscow's ongoing military operations in Ukraine.
March 2
The Russian Defense Ministry says 498 Russian and 2,870 Ukrainian troops have been killed since the outbreak of the conflict. Zelenskiy says over 7,000 Russian servicemen have been killed.
March 3
The second round of talks in Belarus between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations end. Russia and Ukraine agree to organize humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians.
March 5
The first two flights for Chinese citizens evacuated from Ukraine return home.
March 6
Putin says Russia has "practically" completed the mission of destroying Ukraine's main military infrastructure, and Russian forces will fulfill all their assigned tasks and the operation in Ukraine is proceeding as planned and on schedule.
Pro-Russian activists react in a street as fireworks explode in the sky, after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognizing two Russian-backed breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent entities.
Week 3: March 7-March 13
March 7
The Russian government issues a list of "unfriendly" countries and regions including the US, Britain and EU member states.
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators fail to achieve significant results during the third round of talks in Belarus.
Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, also the head of the Russian delegation, says it is too early to talk about something positive. Ukrainian head negotiator and presidential adviser Podolyak notes there has been some positive progress when it comes to improving the logistics of humanitarian corridors.
March 8
Biden declares the decision to ban US imports of oil, liquified natural gas and coal from Russia.
The Russian armed forces announced a ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors in four Ukrainian cities starting 10am Moscow time, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova says in a statement that Russia has received documents from employees at Ukrainian biological laboratories confirming the urgent destruction of dangerous pathogens such as the plague, anthrax, tularemia, cholera and other deadly diseases on February 24. She adds that these laboratories were funded by the US Department of Defense and were part of a biological weapons program.
The last batch of 115 Chinese students who had been stranded in Sumy under siege safely arrive in western Ukraine's Lviv by train. It marks the successful completion of the mission as all 6,000 Chinese nationals in the country are now in safe regions.
March 9
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian says in Beijing that at Ukraine's request, the Red Cross Society of China will provide humanitarian aid supplies to the Ukrainian Red Cross Society. The 5-million-yuan (US$791,000) supplies include food and daily necessities.
Ukraine and Russia agree upon six humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians, according to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, citing Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.
March 10
The press service of Ukraine's parliament says Zelenskiy has signed a law to allow the confiscation of Russia-owned property in Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba meet in Turkey's Antalya – the highest level between the two sides since the start of the conflict.
March 11
The White House says that the US government will revoke Russia's most-favored nation trade status, noting that it will work with the Group of Seven countries and the European Union to roll out new sanctions.
March 12
Zelenskiy says that around 1,300 Ukrainian troops have been killed.
An apartment block destroyed during a shelling in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine.
Week 4: March 14-March 20
March 14
The fourth round of negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators starts via video link and continues into the next day.
According to Ukrainian presidential adviser Podolyak, the Ukrainian delegation is seeking a ceasefire and a troop withdrawal during the peace talks. Ukraine and Russia agree to set up humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Vereshchuk says some 150,000 people had been evacuated from conflict zones in Ukraine to safe places through humanitarian corridors so far.
The Russian Defense Ministry says Russian forces have destroyed 3,920 Ukrainian military facilities.
March 15
The Russian Foreign Ministry announces sanctions on top US officials, including Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
Russia launches procedures to quit the Council of Europe.
Ukraine and Russia will continue their peace talks, according to Ukraine's Podolyak. He notes that there are fundamental contradictions between the two sides, but there is certainly room for compromise.
Zelenskiy says Ukraine should "accept the truth and recognize" that it will not become a member of NATO. He had filed an application requesting Ukraine's entry into the European Union on February 28.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi says the "four musts" highlighted by President Xi Jinping are China's clearest and the most authoritative attitude on the Ukraine issue.
March 16
CNN reports the Kremlin says that Putin hasn't spoken to Biden since the beginning of the operation in Ukraine, but contact between the two leaders can resume if necessary.
March 17
The European Space Agency suspends its Mars mission with Russia
The US House of Representatives votes overwhelmingly to revoke "most favored nation" status for Russia and Belarus.
March 18
Putin holds a phone conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, saying that Moscow is ready to search for solutions to the Russia-Ukraine conflict during negotiations with the Ukrainian side. He criticizes Kiev for "trying to delay the negotiation process in every way possible, putting forward more unrealistic proposals," the Kremlin says.
March 20
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi tweets that 10 million people have fled their homes in Ukraine, either internally displaced or as refugees abroad. The UN estimates more than 3 million Ukrainians have fled the country.
March 21
A Moscow court bans Facebook and Instagram in Russia, labeling the parent company of the two social networks Meta Platforms Inc "extremist."
March 22
Zelenskiy says that Kiev's compromises at peace talks with Russia will be put to a nationwide referendum. He stresses that he stands ready for any compromises if they are supported by the Ukrainian people.
But Kremlin spokesman Peskov says it is too early to talk about a meeting between Putin and Zelenskiy, as there is no breakthrough yet in the peace talks.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says it has recorded 2,571 civilian casualties in Ukraine so far: 977 killed and 1,594 injured.
March 23
Ukraine's lead negotiator Podolyak says the negotiations are continuing online, but the talks with Russia are encountering "significant difficulties" because the Ukrainians have clear and principled positions.
