A Visual Guide to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Bloomberg News is following the unfolding situation involving Russia, Ukraine and NATO allies. Here are the latest updates.

Russian Missile Blitz Signals Escalation

October 10, 2022

Russia hit Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities early Monday in what appeared to be the most intense barrage of missile strikes since the earliest days of the war, a day after President Vladimir Putin blamed Ukraine for an attack on a landmark bridge. Ukraine hasn’t officially claimed responsibility for the blast.

Sources: Institute for the Study of War and the American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project, Bloomberg reporting

Putin said “massive strikes” targeted energy and communications infrastructure in Ukraine, as well as military command installations. His claims were undermined by evidence on social media of missiles hitting Kyiv’s most popular park, a prominent pedestrian bridge and other civilian infrastructure in the center of the capital. At least 12 people were killed and 80 wounded in the attacks, which the EU called war crimes.

A view of the damaged bridge that connects Crimea to Russia. — A view of the damaged bridge on Oct. 8 that connects Crimea to Russia. Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies

Ukraine Recovers Swaths of Territory

September 13, 2022

Since the beginning of September, Ukraine’s forces have made rapid advances and taken territory previously lost to Russia. Estimates of regained ground have risen steadily in recent days, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy claiming to have recaptured more than 6,000 square kilometers (2,300 square miles) in the east and south of the country.

In Kharkiv, thousands of Russian troops retreated in the face of a lightning Ukrainian offensive. Ukraine’s Advisor to the Interior Minister, Anton Herashchenko says Kyiv’s troops have taken Velykyi Burluk, a town in Kharkiv not far from the Russia-Ukraine border. The Institute for the Study of War, a US-based think tank, said Ukraine was likely to capture Izyum, a strategic location for Russia’s campaign in Donbas, in the next day or two.

Mariupol Has Fallen

May 18, 2022

Over the past few days, nearly 1,000 Ukrainian fighters defending Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant “surrendered”, according to Russian authorities. They’ve survived a months-long battle with Russian forces who had besieged the city and this final stronghold of resistance. Moscow has sought to capture the important port city, where they hope to establish a land bridge between Crimea and separatist republics the Donbas.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian defenders continued to fight off Russian troops around Kharkiv City, where Russian forces will likely complete their withdrawal, according to the Institute for the Study of War. And in the Donbas region, Russian forces made many attempts to take transport routes and advance on small settlements.

Nearing a Stalemate

May 11, 2022

Having failed to seize areas near Kyiv, Russia has focused its offensive on Ukraine’s east and south, while continuing to sow destruction in the rest of the country with missiles.

Over the past month, Russian forces made marginal advances in their bid to occupy most of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, while Ukrainian troops have gradually pushed them away from the country’s second-largest city Kharkiv. Russian attacks have effectively demolished Mariupol, the Black Sea port city where only a small group of surrounded defenders continue to hold ground in bomb shelters below the sprawling Azovstal steel plant after women and children, trapped there for several weeks, have finally been evacuated.

U.S. and other foreign allies ramped up weapons deliveries to Ukraine as Russia continued to hit the country’s critical infrastructure with cruise missiles, often fired from stategic bombers flying as far away as the Caspian Sea. Such attacks increasingly targeted Odesa, a strategically placed coastal city which stands in the way of a potential push toward Transnistria, Moldova’s separatist pro-Russian enclave.

Russia Halts Gas Flows to Poland, Bulgaria

April 27, 2022

Russia has stopped exporting gas to Poland and Bulgaria, making good on a threat to cut off countries who refuse President Vladimir Putin’s demand to pay for fuel in rubles. The European Union had previously rejected the demand, saying it violates sanctions put in place to punish Russia for invading Ukraine. In turning off the tap, the Kremlin has effectively removed from the EU toolkit the power to sanction its gas as a way of ramping up pressure.

EU member countries that rely heavily on Russian gas imports could face energy shortages and rationing at home as payment deadlines approach if there is no agreement on how to settle their balances. Four European gas buyers have already paid for supplies in rubles as President Vladimir Putin demanded, according to a person close to Russian gas giant Gazprom PJSC.

Note: Data for 2020 are not available for the U.K. and Bosnia-Herzegovina, 2019 data are shown in those countries. Norway imported 10 million cubic meters of gas from Russia in 2020, but as a net exporter is not dependent on Russian imports.

Source: Eurostat

Poland, which has taken in nearly 3 million Ukrainian refugees since Feb. 24, has said its consumers would not be affected by the shutoff. The country’s natural gas storage is currently at almost 80% capacity, with plans to increase to 90% capacity—roughly a one to two month supply, according to Bloomberg News calculations of data from Gas Infrastructure Europe.

Poland’s dependence on Moscow for gas imports has been declining for the past decade. The country plans to make up any shortfall with other sources, including imports from Germany, Czech Republic and a new line from Slovakia that is slated to open this summer, according to the country’s Climate Ministry. All of those suppliers are also reliant on Russian gas. Poland’s new gas pipeline from Norway is expected to open in October or November.

Shrinking Dependence

Source: Eurostat

Mass Graves Discovered Near Mariupol

April 21, 2022

Satellite imagery has revealed the existence of a new mass grave in Manhush, Ukraine, a village about 12 miles away from Mariupol, where Russian forces have laid siege. Ukrainian officials have accused Russian soldiers of attempting to hide the deaths of civilians by transporting their bodies to the mass grave site.

The satellite images, released by Maxar Technologies, show long rows of more than 200 new graves dug over the past several weeks, adjacent to an existing community cemetery.

A mass grave expanding in Mariupol between March 19 and April 9. — A mass grave expanding in Mariupol over recent weeks. Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies

Battles Continue In The East

April 13, 2022

Russian forces have shifted focus to the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine after withdrawing from the country’s north and areas around the capital, Kyiv. Fighting continues on these fronts as well as in Mariupol, where the city’s mayor says as many as 20,000 people may have been killed in the siege. A report by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe says Russia has committed war crimes by targeting civilians.

Russia is preparing supplies and troops to continue its offensive in east Ukraine, pursuing full control of the Donbas region.

Civilian Casualties Mount

April 6, 2022

Russian forces continue to abandon previously controlled territories in the Chernihiv and Kyiv regions of northern Ukraine, ending a weeks-long campaign to surround and control the capital.

Towns in the area freed by Ukrainian armies reveal extensive damage from shelling and attacks, as well as many civilian casualties. In Bucha, near Kyiv, images of bodies in the streets—some with hands bound and showing evidence of torture—have increased the urgency of calls for the United Nations to investigate reported war crimes by Russian forces. U.S. President Joe Biden has said Russian President Vladimir Putin and his subordinates could be prosecuted for said crimes. Russia has denied involvement in civilian killings.

The extent of these casualties, which the UN OHCHR has said are almost certainly undercounted in official data, have also prompted EU officials to hold Russia accountable through renewed rounds of sanctions. City officials in Mariupol claim Russian armies are destroying evidence of civilian deaths after the response to Bucha. The UN reports 3,675 known civilian casualties between the start of the invasion Feb. 24 and April 5.

Russia Targets Odesa

April 4, 2022

Russia said it targeted an oil refinery and fuel depots in the strategic Black Sea city of Odesa, which was rocked by explosions early Sunday. The self-proclaimed government of Transnistria, a pro-Russian enclave in neighboring Moldova, denied a Ukrainian claim that Moscow’s forces are redeploying in its territory in possible preparation for an attack from the west.

Negotiators from Russia and Ukraine may resume video talks Monday.

Russia Pulls Troops From Areas Around Kyiv

April 1, 2022

Ukrainian forces have retaken areas in the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions as Russia removes many of its troops and the Ukrainian military continues its counteroffensive. Talks between the two countries have resumed virtually on Friday after meetings in Turkey this past week.

As Russian troops withdraw from parts of northern Ukraine, international nuclear monitors expect to return to Chernobyl as Russia relinquishes control of the nuclear site, which will be returned to Ukrainian operators.

Sources: Institute for the Study of War and the American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project, Bloomberg reporting, Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies

Fighting continues across the south and eastern parts of the country, as the United Nations reports aid has yet to reach the besieged city of Mariupol. Russia troops did not open humanitarian corridors out of the southern city on Friday.

Russian Forces Advance in Mariupol

March 30, 2022

While Russia claimed it will cut back operations around Kyiv during negotiations in Turkey on Tuesday, the military is actually regrouping its forces in an attempt to take control of the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. Russian troops continue to make gains in the region’s largest city, Mariupol, which has been under siege since March 1. Russian forces have sustained casualties due to tough fighting in the city while making gains from both sides of Russian controlled territory, according to The Institute for the Study of War and AEI’s Critical Threats Project.

Satellite photos show extensive residential damage to apartment complexes and homes across Mariupol. Russia’s siege of the city has killed at least 5,000 people, according to mayor Vadym Boychenko on Monday. The city council estimated that 80-90% of buildings have been damaged or destroyed.

Apartment buildings and homes in Mariupol destroyed by shelling on March 29. Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies

Ukraine Recaptures Territory

March 28, 2022

Ukrainian troops have successfully pushed Russian troops out of Trostyanets and several villages outside Kharkiv over the weekend. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak called for a “sharp increase” in artillery supplies today, to maintain the military’s counteroffensive operations which he says have so far resulted in the deaths of more than 500 Russian soldiers per day.

NATO allies disagree on the type and quantity of weaponry they should supply to Ukraine. Some, like leaders of the U.K. and most eastern European Union countries, are in favor of sending more powerful weapons, including anti-aircraft capabilities, while others like France worry that sending tanks and jets would complicate efforts to reach a cease-fire.

One Month of War

March 25, 2022

A month into the war, Russia has failed to gain control of major Ukrainian cities, and the Kremlin says its focus now is on taking full control of Ukraine’s Donbas region. Russian troops have faced strong Ukrainian resistance and heavy losses thus far. As many as 15,000 Russian soldiers are estimated to have been killed, according to NATO.

Ukrainian cities are still under continuous Russian shelling, with many civilian casualties and extensive destruction to infrastructure. In the city of Mariupol, close to 80% of residential buildings have been destroyed, and three-hundred civilians died in the bombing of a theater on March 16, according to the Mariupol city council.

Ukrainian forces attacked Russian ships docked in Berdyansk on March 24, destroying one and damaging two others. Satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies Inc. showed an Alligator-class ship burning and partially submerged.

Aerial view of the port of Berdyansk. A ship is capsized and smoke comes out of the port and the ship. — A burning Russian ship docked in the port of Berdyansk, Ukraine on March 25 2022. Smoke is coming out of fuel storage tanks on the quays. Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies

Ten Million Ukrainians Displaced by Invasion

March 22, 2022

An estimated 10 million Ukrainians have been displaced, according to recent data published by two United Nations agencies.

The UN’s International Organization for Migration estimates that nearly 6.5 million people have relocated within Ukraine. Most have fled war zones around the city of Kyiv and eastern Ukraine, which includes cities under threat from Russian forces such as Dnipro, Zhaporizhzhia and Kharkiv. Most internally displaced Ukrainians have left for western and central Ukraine.

Another 3.6 million people have crossed the border to seek refuge in neighboring countries since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, according to the most recently available data from the UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees. Most refugees have fled to western neighbors like Poland and Romania, but many have crossed into Russia.

Note: Figures for Internally displaced are an IOM estimate as of March 19, based on a sample of 2,000 telephone interviews conducted between March 9-16 with respondents 18 years and older who were in Ukraine. Figures for refugees to neighboring countries are as of March 21 and have been compiled by UNHCR using mostly data from official border crossing points, as well as the agency’s own estimates. UNHCR’s top-line total is less than the cumulative total of country figures because totals for Romania and Moldova include people crossing between the two countries.

Sources: IOM, UNHCR

The IOM estimates—which are based on telephone interviews with a representative sample of displaced people within Ukraine—show that more than 53% of those who are internally displaced are women and more than 60% of households displaced include children.

Kyiv Mall Destroyed; Ukraine Rejects Russia’s Demand for Mariupol Surrender

March 21, 2022

A large shopping center on the outskirts of Kyiv was destroyed by shelling from Russian forces and a subsequent fire, killing at least eight. The attack also damaged six residential apartment blocks in the area, rendering three of those unlivable. Two schools and two kindergartens were also damaged.

Sources: Bloomberg reporting, Institute for the Study of War and the American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project

A man with a bicycle stands in front of a multi-story building that’s been destroyed. The ground is covered in rubble. — A man with his bicycle walks between debris outside the destroyed Retroville shopping mall in a residential district, after a Russian attack on the Ukranian capital Kyiv on March 21, 2022. Photographer: Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images.

Ukraine rejected a Russian demand that its forces lay down their arms and leave Mariupol by Monday morning. Moscow had delivered the ultimatum to surrender in exchange for assurance of safe passage, despite multiple incidents of Russian soldiers firing upon evacuating civilians. The besieged southern city has been under heavy bombardment, while Russian forces have blocked humanitarian aid.

According to the United Nations, nearly 10 million Ukrainians have now been driven from their homes. While most have been displaced internally, about 3.4 million have fled to other countries.

Missiles Hit Outside Western City of Lviv

March 18, 2022

Missiles struck an aircraft repair plant near the Lviv airport in western Ukraine. It was the first reported Russian strike in several days in parts of Ukraine near the Polish border, a key corridor for Ukrainians attempting to flee to Poland.

Other missile attacks across the country were defended against by Ukrainian anti-aircraft equipment, including in Vinnytsia and Odesa. Additional military aid from the United States was announced this week, and will include 800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems for ongoing protection from Russia’s aerial assault.

Worsening Conditions in Mariupol

March 16, 2022

Mariupol, a port city in southern Ukraine, has been the target of brutal attacks by Russian troops, who have fired missiles at residential buildings, hospitals and civilians. The city has been barricaded by Russian troops for 16 days, without food, water, heat or electricity. Efforts to send aid from Zaporizhzhia have been stalled since March 5, as buses carrying the aid have been trapped in Russian-controlled Berdyansk.

Civilians, including children, were killed and injured today when rockets hit a convoy of people trying to evacuate the city, according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. Separately, the Russian air force dropped a bomb on a theater where hundreds of people have been sheltering, according to the Mariupol city council. Satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies Inc. on March 14 shows the same building had been marked with the Russian word for “children” on the pavement outside.

Aerial satellite view of a large building with a red roof in Mariupol. Russian script that reads “children” has been enlarged as an area of detail. — The theater in Mariupol with the Russian word for “children” marked on the pavement on March 14, before it was bombed by Russian air force on March 16. Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies

Russia has repeatedly violated agreements to open humanitarian corridors leading out of Mariupol. The first successful evacuation came earlier this week, with 400 civilians escaping, followed by more than 30,000 people since then.

Man standing in front of a multi-story apartment building that was burned black. — A man looks at a burned apartment building that was damaged by shelling in Mariupol on March 13. Photographer: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP

The Human Toll of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

March 15, 2022

At least 636 civilians have lost their lives in Ukraine and 1,125 have been injured as of March 13, according to data published by the United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Among them, 46 deaths and 62 injuries of children have been confirmed.

The figures for the first 18 days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are an undercount, the OHCHR report says, as information from locations with intense hostilities in more recent days is still pending corroboration. The Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine reported 90 deaths and 100 injuries of children and the National Police of Kharkiv puts the number of civilian deaths in the region to 212. Allegations about hundreds of civilian casualties in Izium, Mariupol and Volnovakha are still being corroborated and are not included in the published tallies. The Mariupol City Council claims that 2,357 civilians have lost their lives as of March 14.

Cumulative Deaths and Injuries of Civilians Since Russia Invaded on Feb. 24

Adults
Children

Note: First totals were published for Feb. 27, three days following the Russian invasion. Each day’s tallies might include casualties that occurred on previous days if later confirmed.

Source: UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

A total of 720 deaths and injuries have been recorded in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, while the remaining 1,041 took place in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Sumy and other regions.

According to OHCHR, most of the civilian casualties have been caused by attacks that use heavy artillery, multi-launch rocket systems, missiles and air strikes.

Image of a woman on a stretcher on wheels, surrounded by paramedical personnel and other people. — A civilian injured from a Russian attack in Irpin is brought to a hospital in Kyiv on March 7. Photographer: Andriy Dubchak for dia images.

On the military side, a total of 1,300 Ukrainian troops have been killed, the country’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Saturday. The only figures published by Russia’s Ministry of Defense on March 2 put the number of Russian troop casualties to 498 deaths and 1,597 injuries.

Russia Targets Western Ukraine

March 14, 2022

Russia has been striking targets in western Ukraine more frequently in recent days, including missile strikes on a military training facility close to the Polish border. The International Peacekeeping and Security Center near Yavoriv, in the Lviv region, had been used regularly by NATO before the invasion.

The Russian military also continues to target sites around Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and fierce fighting has been reported there.

At least two people were killed and dozens wounded by Russian airstrikes that hit a high-rise building in northern Kyiv.

Firefighters rescue civilians from a damaged residential building.

Source: State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Getty Images

Kyiv Suburbs Under Siege

March 12, 2022

Russian forces attempting to surround Kyiv continue to flood into suburban towns, killing civilians and causing destruction to homes and infrastructure. Thousands of people were evacuated from Vorzel, Bucha and Hostomel northwest of the capital on Friday. Further east, Chernihiv, Baryshivka and Nizhyn were still under heavy bombardment, including in residential areas, according to Ukrainian officials.

Aerial view of a residential neighborhood with homes on fire caption: Burning homes in Moschun, northwest of Kyiv on March 11. Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies — Burning homes in Moschun, northwest of Kyiv on March 11. Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies

Satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies Inc. on March 10 and March 11 shows burning homes in Moschun and a destroyed shopping center in Chernihiv—counter to Russia’s claim that it is only targeting military structures with high precision.

Source: Satellite images ©2022 Maxar Technologies

Russia Arrests Thousands in Crackdowns on Anti-War Protesters

March 12, 2022

Thousands of people have been detained in Russia in Vladimir Putin’s brutal crackdown on protests opposing the war in Ukraine and ever-harsher restrictions on communicating online.

Demonstrations against the war across Russia have resulted in more than 13,000 detentions since Feb. 24, according to rights group OVD-Info, with most in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Unauthorized meetings are illegal in Russia, and those arrested could face years in jail.

On March 6, OVD said that authorities were carrying out searches on human rights activists and journalists in several regions, protesters had been beaten with batons, and that police have used tasers in some cases.

Note: Numbers are a March 10 estimate of protesters detained between Feb. 24 and March 9.

Source: OVD-Info

Some actors and social media or other figures have also spoken out about the war, while a handful of business leaders have called for peace. Jailed opposition leader Alexey Navalny called for more protests this weekend.

Some citizens have also been arrested for posts on social media as the authorities seek to control access to information. Russian prosecutors are now seeking to declare Facebook parent company Meta ‘extremist’ and a ban on Instagram will take effect March 14.

No End in Sight, Though Russian Advances Falter

March 10, 2022

Russia and Ukraine failed to make progress toward ending the war during a meeting today between their foreign ministers in Turkey—the highest-level talks to take place since Russia invaded two weeks ago. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denies his country has invaded its neighbor, insisting it is conducting a “special military operation.”

On the ground, Russian forces are largely stalled outside Kyiv and Kharkiv. Troops from Crimea have moved north toward Zaporizhzhia, according to the Institute for the Study of War’s situational report. Russia clearly indicated attacks will continue until its goals are met, according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, following the meeting with his Russian counterpart.

More than 40,000 civilians were evacuated from combat zones along humanitarian corridors Thursday, after some 60,000 the prior day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video address. Proposed corridors out of Mariupol and Volnovakha remain blocked due to ongoing Russian attacks.

At least 549 civilians have been killed since the invasion began, including 41 children, though the true toll is likely “considerably higher,” according to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Civilians Struggle to Evacuate

March 9, 2022

Ukraine has struggled to evacuate civilians from cities under siege along humanitarian corridors. While Russia has honored temporary cease-fire agreements on some evacuation routes, it has repeatedly violated others since March 6—like the one out of the southern city of Mariupol. Evacuations have not been possible there due to repeated shelling, according to reports from Ukrainian officials.

Local authorities in Mariupol reported that a Russian airstrike hit a maternity and children’s hospital on Wednesday, despite the agreed cease-fire, injuring at least 17 people. Children were reported to be among those trapped under the rubble.

Source: Associated Press

Ukrainian authorities said Wednesday morning that four of six agreed upon humanitarian corridors were working. On March 8 around 5,000 people and 1,000 private cars left Sumy, close to the Russian border, and arrived in Poltava, according to local officials. The first buses leaving Sumy carried the most vulnerable civilians, including pregnant women, women with children, elderly and disabled persons as well as foreigners from China, India and Turkey. Many of those who arrived in Poltava opted to continue west via train.

In the south, 1,000 civilians fled Enerhodar for Zaporizhzhia today, and 143 people evacuated from Volnovakha to Pokrovsk, according to the governor of Donetsk.

U.S. and U.K. Ban Russian Oil

March 8, 2022

The U.S. and U.K. will ban imports of Russian oil in an escalation of punitive measures targeted at hobbling Russia’s economy. President Joe Biden announced the U.S. ban will apply to all Russian fossil fuels—including oil, liquefied natural gas and coal—while the U.K. will continue to import natural gas and coal from the country.

Russia accounted for about 3% of all crude shipments and 8% of all oil and petroleum-product imports to the U.S. last year. The pace of U.S. imports of Russian crude this year has dropped to the slowest annual level since 2017, according to the intelligence firm Kpler.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration

Other European nations that rely more heavily on Russian fuels have not indicated they will participate. EU governments are divided over whether to join in banning Russian oil imports, with some member states like Germany strongly opposed and others like Poland in favor of the move.

Europe currently imports about 4 million barrels per day of Russian crude and refined products, according to Eurostat data.

Note: Data for 2020 is not available for the U.K., 2019 data is shown for U.K.

Source: Eurostat

Russian Evacuation Plans Rejected by Ukraine

March 7, 2022

Russian authorities announced “humanitarian corridors” to move people from besieged cities within Ukraine, to neighboring locations in Belarus and Russia. These plans were rejected by Ukraine, which suggested evacuation routes to safer areas within the country.

Over the weekend, two agreements to evacuate Mariupol, in south-eastern Ukraine, fell through following allegations of Russian cease-fire breaches. Meanwhile, more than 400,000 refugees fled Ukraine in just the past two days, bringing the current total to 1.7 million, according to the UNHCR.

Note: Refugee data as of March 7, 2022, 11:00 AM GMT. The number of Ukrainians with residence permits is an undercount of the total number of Ukrainian citizens residing in those countries.

Sources: UNHCR, Eurostat

Many Ships Stay Away Amid Attacks at Sea

March 4, 2022

When Russia’s army and navy invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, routine shipping lanes across the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea to ports in both nations suddenly became a war zone, dangerous for the dozens of cargo ships that ply those waters every day with payloads of oil, grain and other commodities bound for markets from Egypt to Brazil. Much of the usual flurry of cargo ship traffic in the seas has come to a halt.

Sources: MariTrace, Bloomberg

Five civilian vessels reported damage after being hit by Russia’s military, while two others were reportedly detained by Russian troops. On March 3, an Estonian-owned cargo ship, the Helt, sank off the Ukrainian coast near Odesa, the Foreign Ministry in Tallinn confirmed.

Civilian vessel
Attacked vessel

Sources: MariTrace, Bloomberg, BBC

The Black Sea is a critical region for agricultural traders and oil traders alike. Ukraine and Russia together account for more than a quarter of the global trade in wheat and about a fifth of corn. That trade was thrown into chaos after Ukraine’s ports closed in the wake of Russia’s invasion. Russia’s military has made advances in the south of Ukraine along the sea.

Note: Draft is a measurement of how deep a ship sits beneath the surface of the water. A port with a larger max draft can accommodate larger ships.

Sources: Bloomberg, Bloomberg reporting, Institute for the Study of War and the American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project

Russian Forces Occupy Nuclear Plant Site, Ukraine Officials Say

March 4, 2022

Russian forces have occupied the site of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, Ukraine said, after an overnight fire that the government in Kyiv accused Vladimir Putin’s military of causing by shelling the area.

video showing a bright flaring object landing in the grounds of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. — Video released by the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant showing a bright flaring object landing in the grounds of the plant in Enerhodar, Ukraine, on March 4.

Sources: Bloomberg reporting; Ukraine State Emergency Service; satellite image taken in 2019 from Google Earth; video footage from Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

Ukraine’s nuclear regulator said Zaporizhzhia plant personnel were monitoring the state of power units to ensure safety protocols were maintained. The brief fire in a training complex at the plant was out, local emergency services said.

Sources: World Nuclear Association, Bloomberg reporting, U.S. Energy Information Administration, Secretariat of Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine

President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as reports emerged about the attack, and the leaders had earlier called on Russia “to cease its military activities in the area,” according to a White House statement.

Kherson Falls, Russian Advance On Kyiv Stalls

March 2, 2022

Russia captured the Black Sea port city of Kherson—their first major conquest since their invasion began. Little has changed on the battlefront over the past day, though Russian troops have made some modest progress in Ukraine’s south, according to a Pentagon official.

Mariupol, a city of more than 500,000 along the Sea of Azov, was encircled by Russian and pro-Russian separatist troops, and took heavy bombardment on Wednesday. Russian forces channeling out of Crimea took Melitopol, to the east, and moved west toward Mykolaiv, where fierce fighting was reported. The port city of Odesa, with a population of over 1 million, is thought to be the next target.

Russian forces appear to be stalled outside of Kyiv, possibly due to food and fuel shortages, according to the Pentagon official. The Russian Defense Ministry said 498 of its servicemen have been killed and 1,597 wounded in Ukraine, Interfax reported. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy put the number at closer to 9,000 dead. Russia also said no conscripts or cadets were taking part in fighting, a statement that contradicts eyewitness and social media posts purporting to show young Russian soldiers surrendering to Ukrainians.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights reported 227 Ukrainian civilians have died and 525 have been wounded since the invasion began on Feb. 24.

Battles Grind On, Entering More Brutal Stage

March 1, 2022

After multiple failures to capture major cities and eliminate Ukraine’s air defenses, officials from the U.S. and allied nations expect Russia will employ more indiscriminate tactics. Ukrainian officials and eyewitnesses have reported scores of civilian casualties from air and missile strikes and shared videos of munitions hitting civil and residential buildings, even as Russia maintains it is only targeting military facilities. The United Nations reported more than 100 civilians had died, and said the actual number could be much higher.

Towns and cities in Ukraine’s east are “under devastating fire,” and the government has appealed to the Red Cross, UN and OSCE to organize humanitarian corridors for civilians to evacuate, according to Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

In Kyiv, a Russian missile damaged the city’s TV tower, following a statement by Russia’s Defense Ministry that it planned to destroy sources of “information attacks,” according to Interfax. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said five people were killed in that attack.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military intelligence service said in a Twitter post that some 300 Belarusian tanks are amassed at the border, and that Belarus may be close to entering the war. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko denies any claim that his country will do so.

In northern Ukraine, satellite imagery shows a Russian military convoy as long as 40 miles (67 km) still making its way toward the capital. The sheer quantity of vehicles sent down Ukraine’s relatively narrow highways has caused traffic jams that make it difficult for fuel trucks, bridging equipment to traverse blown up bridges and even anti-aircraft systems to get through.

Fighting Continues Despite Diplomatic Talks

February 28, 2022

Russia and Ukraine agreed to meet for a second round of peace talks, even as the fighting intensified around Ukraine’s largest cities. The heaviest assaults were on Kharkiv, where local authorities say civilians were killed and wounded after heavy shelling in residential areas, Pravda reported. Civilian deaths were also reported in the northern city of Chernihiv, according to the state emergency service. Russia says that it is only attacking military targets.

Civilians in Kyiv were free to evacuate by a single highway, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said—an offer that raised fears of an all-out attack on the capital. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy rejected the notion that Kyiv was surrounded, saying some heavy battles continue but the capital remains controlled by Ukraine.

Russian Advances on Kyiv

Reported attacks
Russian occupied Ukrainian territory, as of Feb. 28

Sources: Bloomberg reporting, Institute for the Study of War

Russia’s main advance to encircle the capital remains slowed because of Ukrainian resistance, as well as logistics and resupply problems, according to a senior U.S. defense official. The U.K. Defence Ministry said in a tweet earlier Monday that the bulk of Putin’s ground forces remained more than 30 kilometers (18 miles) to the north of Kyiv, “having been slowed by Ukrainian forces defending Hostomel airfield.”

Satellite imagery showed a large Russian convoy that stretched for miles heading southeast, toward Kyiv.

Aerial view of a large Russian military convoy on a road in a heavily wooded area north of Kyiv. — More than 100 Russian logistics and resupply vehicles in a small stretch of road, northwest of Kyiv, February 28. Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies

Fights for Kyiv, Kharkiv

February 27, 2022

The mayor of Kyiv said the capital remained fully controlled by Ukrainian troops as of Sunday morning, while heavy fighting continued in the second-largest city, Kharkiv, according to Ukrainian military authorities. Russia and Ukraine agreed to meet for talks on the border with Belarus, and Putin has put Russia’s nuclear forces on higher alert.

Sources: Bloomberg reporting, Institute for the Study of War

A senior U.S. defense official said the U.S. had indications that Moscow was frustrated by the slow progress caused by an unexpectedly strong Ukrainian defense and failure to achieve complete air dominance. Still, Russia so far had committed only about 50% of its available firepower to the war.

Aerial view of smoke coming out of a structure next to an airstrip at the Hostomel airport. — Damage to aircraft hangar at Hostomel Airport near Kyiv, February 27. Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies

Fighting Continues As Russia Pushes Closer to Kyiv

February 25, 2022

Ukraine’s president said Moscow-led forces were continuing attacks on military and civilian targets on the second day of their invasion, with sirens warning Kyiv’s residents to take shelter. Russian President Vladimir Putin shrugged off new sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies, and U.S. President Joe Biden warned of “a dangerous moment for all of Europe.”

Russian forces continue to push into Ukraine from multiple points of entry, including an amphibious assault from the Sea of Azov towards Mariupol, according to a U.S. defense official, as well as attacks on ports in Odesa and Pivdennyi. Heavy fighting is underway around Kyiv, with Ukrainian forces actively defending the capital city.

The invasion has been marked by indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas and strikes on protected objects such as hospitals, Amnesty International said in a statement.

Satellite imagery shows several large deployments of ground forces, equipment and helicopters in southern Belarus, less than 100 miles from the Ukrainian border.

A slideshow animated through black and white satellite images of helicopters and other military equipment — Source: Maxar

Thousands of people displaced by the conflict are attempting to cross Ukraine’s western borders into neighboring countries, according to U.N. officials.

Lines of cars started forming at Hungary’s border early Thursday, MTI state news service reported, and the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine said 2,500 vehicles were queued at Polish crossings as of Friday afternoon.

Sources: State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Google Maps

Thousands more are making the journey by foot, bus and rail. Poland is already home to more than a million Ukrainians and would be the first point of escape for many seeking to flee the violence.

The prospect of a vast influx of migrants has forced Eastern European governments, some whom have refused in recent years to accept migrants, to confront the possibility of hundreds of thousands of new arrivals. Authorities in the four EU member states bordering Ukraine—Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania—say they’re prepared for those fleeing.

Russia Attacks Targets Across Ukraine After Putin Orders Strikes

February 24, 2022

Russian forces attacked targets across Ukraine after President Vladimir Putin vowed to “demilitarize” the country and replace its leaders. The government in Kyiv called Russia’s actions a “full-scale invasion” as it declared martial law, called for international support including harsher sanctions and for citizens to take up arms.

Russian troops seized the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Zmiinyi island and Nova Kakhovka, where the North Crimean Channel begins, according to Ukrainian officials. The channel used to be an essential water supply source for Crimea, but Ukraine had blocked flows into the peninsula after Russia’s annexation. In the northeast, satellite imagery showed damage to Chuhuiv airfield.

Aerial view of smoke coming out of a structure next to an airstrip at the Chuhuiv airfield. — Damage to fuel storage and other areas of the Chuhuiv airfield near Kharkiv, February 24. Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies

Lines of cars already clogged highways leading out of the capital Kyiv, with the Ukrainian government saying Russian forces had entered the region around the city of 2.9 million. Polish authorities said they are beginning to see an increase in passenger traffic over the border. Poland is already home to more than a million Ukrainians and would be the first point of escape for many seeking to flee the violence.

Sources: Bloomberg reporting; Google Maps

U.S. Shifts More Troops to Baltic States

February 22, 2022

President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. will shift American forces already based in Europe further east, in response to what it calls “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.”

About 800 U.S. troops stationed in Italy will be shifted to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to bolster NATO allies—a move he insists is purely defensive. Biden also announced new sanctions that would target Russia’s sale of sovereign debt abroad, as well as Russian oligarchs and their families.

*Russia personnel estimate according to U.S. authorities

Sources: NATO; U.S. Department of Defense; U.K. Ministry of Defense; Ukraine National Institute for Strategic Studies

EU Announces Repercussions

February 22, 2022

The EU and the U.K. announced initial, limited sanctions against Russia and signaled more would come if President Vladimir Putin does not change course.

The EU has sanctioned all the Russian lawmakers who voted for recognizing separatist regions in Ukraine, the individuals who proposed the recognition and three Russian banks that finance operations in those areas. They also restrict trade between the EU and the breakaway regions, as well as the Russian government’s access to EU capital and financial markets.

The U.K. sanctions, which kick in immediately, apply to five Russian banks and the assets of three Russian oligarchs.

Meanwhile, Germany has halted the certification of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline which would ship as much as 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Europe. Construction of the new pipeline was completed late last year. The decision won’t cut current Russian gas flows to the rest of the continent.

Putin Recognizes Ukraine Separatist Areas

February 21, 2022

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree officially recognizing two self-proclaimed separatist republics in eastern Ukraine, a move that likely torpedoes European-mediated peace talks and further escalates tensions with the West. It drew immediate condemnation from the the U.S. as well as the EU, including states in the bloc’s far east.

The separatists hold about one third of the provinces, calling them the Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) and the Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR). Russia is the first nation to recognize them. The Russian president said he’s not deploying troops now to the areas, though he may decide to later.

Putin made the announcement in a televised address that followed a meeting on Monday of his Security Council. It comes against a backdrop of heightened concern over Russia’s sustained troop buildup near Ukraine, even as Moscow continues to deny it plans to invade.

U.S. Identifies Multiple Cities in Ukraine as Possible Targets

February 20, 2022

The U.S. has told allies that any Russian invasion of Ukraine would potentially see it target multiple cities including the capital Kyiv, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Cities that could also come under attack include Kharkiv in the northeast and Odesa and Kherson in the south, said the people, all Western officials who asked not to be identified talking about such sensitive matters. They did not provide details on the intelligence they said underlined these calculations.

The Personnel Buildup

February 18, 2022

U.S. authorities have estimated as many as 190,000 Russian personnel—including troops, National Guard units and Russian-backed separatists—are amassed near the Ukrainian border in what it called the most significant military mobilization since World War II. In response to the tensions, the NATO military alliance is reinforcing its defensive presence in eastern member states—including in the Black Sea region. The U.S. and NATO have made clear they would not send troops into Ukraine in the event of a conflict.

Russia denies any plans to invade Ukraine, and its officials have repeatedly dismissed U.S. warnings about a possible invasion as “hysteria” and propaganda. They also accuse the U.S. and NATO allies of stoking tensions with naval exercises in the Black Sea.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Kyiv to “sit down at the negotiating table” with separatist leaders “and agree on political, military, economic and humanitarian measures to end the conflict.” The government in Kyiv refuses to negotiate with the Russia-backed separatists—considering them to be Moscow proxies with no powers to negotiate—and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelnskiy has been denied requests to meet with Putin.

Russia and Belarus are holding their biggest joint military drills in years. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said there may be 30,000 Russian troops in Belarus for the drills. Some of the exercises occurred near the border with Ukraine, as well as near the borders of Poland and Lithuania, both NATO members.

Sources: Bloomberg; Janes; Russian Defense Ministry; Belarus Defense Ministry; Rochan Consulting; NATO; U.S. Department of Defense; U.K. Ministry of Defense; Ukraine National Institute for Strategic Studies

The U.S. raised the alarm with European allies in November about what it said was a buildup of Russian forces near the border with Ukraine. It warned that a three-pronged move into Ukraine might take place from Southern Russia, Crimea and Belarus.

A Visual Guide to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Bloomberg News is following the unfolding situation involving Russia, Ukraine and NATO allies. Here are the latest updates.

Russian Missile Blitz Signals Escalation

Russian Missiles Hit Ukrainian Cities

Ukraine Recovers Swaths of Territory

Change in Assessed Control

Mariupol Has Fallen

Assessed Control as of May 17

Nearing a Stalemate

Assessed Control as of May 10

Russia Halts Gas Flows to Poland, Bulgaria

Share of Natural Gas Imports Coming From Russia, 2020

Shrinking Dependence

Mass Graves Discovered Near Mariupol

Battles Continue In The East

Ukrainian Forces Recapture Northern Territory

Civilian Casualties Mount

Ukrainian Army Retakes Areas Around Kyiv And Chernihiv

Cumulative Deaths and Injuries of Civilians Since Russia Invaded on Feb. 24

Russia Targets Odesa

Odesa Rocked by Explosions

Russia Pulls Troops From Areas Around Kyiv

Towns Around Kyiv And Chernihiv Reclaimed

Russian Forces Advance in Mariupol

Destruction in Mariupol

Ukraine Recaptures Territory

Ukrainian Forces Reclaim Areas Outside Kharkiv

One Month of War

Assessed Control as of March 24

Ten Million Ukrainians Displaced by Invasion

Kyiv Mall Destroyed; Ukraine Rejects Russia’s Demand for Mariupol Surrender

Retroville Mall Outside Kyiv Shelled by Russian Forces

Missiles Hit Outside Western City of Lviv

Locations of Russian Control and Attacks

Worsening Conditions in Mariupol

City Under Siege

The Human Toll of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

Cumulative Deaths and Injuries of Civilians Since Russia Invaded on Feb. 24

Russia Targets Western Ukraine

Locations of Russian Control and Attacks

Kyiv Suburbs Under Siege

Locations of Russian Control and Attacks

Russia Arrests Thousands in Crackdowns on Anti-War Protesters

Detentions of protesters as of March 9

No End in Sight, Though Russian Advances Falter

Locations of Russian Control and Attacks

Civilians Struggle to Evacuate

Civilian Escape Routes

U.S. and U.K. Ban Russian Oil

The U.S. Imported Around 250M Russian Barrels In 2021

Share of Total Oil and Petroleum Imports From Russia, 2020

Russian Evacuation Plans Rejected by Ukraine

Where Ukraine’s Refugees Are Fleeing

Locations of Russian Control and Attacks

Many Ships Stay Away Amid Attacks at Sea

Russian Military Activity Near Ukraine’s Ports

Russian Forces Occupy Nuclear Plant Site, Ukraine Officials Say

Zaporizhzhia Is Europe’s Largest Nuclear Plant

Kherson Falls, Russian Advance On Kyiv Stalls

Locations of Russian Control and Attacks

Battles Grind On, Entering More Brutal Stage

Locations of Russian Control and Attacks

Russian Convoy Heading South Toward Kyiv

Fighting Continues Despite Diplomatic Talks

Locations of Russian Control and Attacks

Russian Advances on Kyiv

Fights for Kyiv, Kharkiv

Locations of Russian Control and Attacks

Fighting Continues As Russia Pushes Closer to Kyiv

Locations of Reported Attacks

Ukrainians fleeing to Poland waited in long queues at road and rail borders on Friday

Russia Attacks Targets Across Ukraine After Putin Orders Strikes

Locations of Reported Attacks

Traffic Forming as People Flee Kyiv

U.S. Shifts More Troops to Baltic States

Locations of Military Forces

EU Announces Repercussions

Share of Natural Gas Imports Coming From Russia, 2020

Putin Recognizes Ukraine Separatist Areas

Separatist-Controlled Areas in Donetsk and Luhansk