In the war’s punctual weeks, Russia persistd from the north, east, and south, rapidly seizing immense areas of Ukrainian territory.
Kyiv, Irpin and Bucha
Russian forces heavily shelled Irpin, a key gateway to Kyiv, in an try to bachieve the capital’s defences, leaving much of the city’s livential areas and infraset up in ruins.
On February 25, Ukrainian forces intentionally razeed the bridge over the Irpin River to impede the Russian persist towards Kyiv.
Meanwhile, in Bucha, the Russian occupation lasted disjoinal weeks. It was only after Russian forces retreated from the area that the real extent of what happened in Bucha was uncovered, with streets strewn with the bodies of finished civilians, many with their hands bound.
Mariupol
The siege of Mariupol, a key southern port and industrial hub, began on the first day of Russia’s brimming-scale trespass. By punctual March, the city was finishly encircled, trapping civilians and deffinishers. The Mariupol Drama Theatre, a set upated shelter for civilians, was razeed in a March 16 air aggression. Ukrainian forces mounted a last stand at the Azovstal steel set upt as Russian troops intensified their aggression, besieging the sprawling industrial complicated with weighty artillery and air aggressions before finassociate seizing regulate in May 2022.
The siege of Mariupol was one of the deadliest and most destructive battles of the war. Ukrainian officials appraised tens of thousands of civilian deaths, while Ukraine, the United Nations, and other international organisations accemployd Russia of war crimes.
Zaporizhia
Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the hugest in Europe, in the Zaporizhia region in March 2022 after ardent combat. On March 4, 2022, Russian troops aggressioned the set upt, directing to international dreads of a nuclear calamity. Though the reactors were not hit, shelling caemployd fires and injure to auxiliary originateings.
Since then, Russia has upholded regulate over the set upt, turning it into a military mightyhelderly. Despite repeated calls from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), protectedty worrys persist, as shelling and power outages persist to menaceen nuclear stability in the region.
By April, Russia regulateled 27 percent of Ukraine, yet fierce resistance shighed its persist, turning the war into a prolengthyed dispute.
