Red lines in the Russo-Ukrainian War

Veiled threats of engagement

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The term red lines has seen use in the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and is a veiled threat of engagement that is intended to warn an opponent or observer not to interfere or undertake in an action or behaviour that would "cross the red line."

On 21 April 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a speech in which he repeatedly warned the West of red lines that Russia would not accept. The warnings were repeated on many occasions up to the date of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.[1]

To some experts, the number of red lines that have been crossed reveal the inability for belligerents involved in the war to project power internationally.[2]

## Russia's red lines[edit]

The mention of red lines have been in common use since the very start of the renewed conflict in Ukraine to justify the war. In February of 2022, President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation stated that the United States and its Western partners had crossed a red line with regard to Ukraine, which resulted in the consequence of Russia having to undertake its "Special Military Operation" against Ukraine due to the threat imposed from Ukraine to the very existence of the Russian Federation.[3]

Crossing a red line to the Russian Federation is often identified as being an action that damages Russian national interests. Such actions may include the imposition of sanctions, the freezing of Russian or affiliated nation funds, and the donation of military goods to its perceived adversaries or other.

While commonly used by the Russian Federation in international politics, Russia has simultaneously used the red line phrase in shaping narratives aimed at domestic audiences.

In June 2023 President Putin said that Russia would keep responding to breaches of its red lines.[4] President Putin has been consistent with regard to the threat of nuclear action being used solely in the event of crossing the red line of an existential threat to the state.[5]

In 2023 Russia made 15 official "red line" statements, compared to 24 in 2022.[6]

## Usage of red line warnings[edit]

Russia has used the phrase "red line" often, and because some of these lines have been crossed without major repercussions, some believe that Russia has devalued the impact of their threats, with the threats appearing more as bluffs.[7]

There may be an actual red line that Russian and the Kremlin really have, but it is largely unclear what exactly it consists of.[7]

Some of the red line threats from Russia may in fact be bluffs solely to slow the supply of resources to Ukraine, making the West consider their options and delaying action.[8]

Others may be used just to show an element of escalation has taken place once a line is crossed. Red lines are nearly always soft, variable and adjustable rather than hard-line positions that are immutable.[9]

In diplomacy, both Russia and Ukraine have mentioned red lines when referring to acceptable peace terms. One such example of a diplomatic Russian red line leaves Russia keeping Crimea, and another Ukrainian red line sees all Russian forces leave territory that belonged to Ukraine on 31 December 1991.[10][11] These red lines appear incompatible.

### Tacit rules[edit]

As time has progressed in the war, a set of tacit rules has emerged which fit between current operations and red lines and affect the rule creator.[12][8]

Examples of such tacit rules include:

* NATO will defend its territory.[13]
* No NATO forces will operate inside Ukraine against Russian forces.[14]
* NATO will not operate in the airspace over Ukraine, in order to avoid a direct confrontation.[15]

Under these stated rules, Russia would cross a red line if they attacked a NATO country, and NATO would cross a self-imposed red line if they sent troops into Ukraine. The above aim to limit an expansion of the war; however, it is not all one-sided, as other tacit rules are:

* US and NATO will share intelligence and satellite imagery with Ukraine.[16]
* NATO countries will provide weapons and ammunition to Ukraine.[17]
* Ukraine will not use NATO weapons to strike inside Russia's pre 2014 borders.[18]

## Identified red lines[edit]

### Russian red lines[edit]

Date notified  | Red line  | Date broken  | Consequences  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

2014  | Crimea  | 23 Aug 2023  |  | [19][20]
September 2021  | Ukraine not joining NATO  | not broken |  | [21][20] [22]
September 2021  | NATO military infrastructure not to be deployed in Ukraine  | not broken |  | [21][20] [22]
September 2021  | No deployment of soldiers to Ukraine  | 12 April 2023  |  | [23] [22]

[24] [25]

December 2021  | No weapons to Ukraine  | February 2022  | Threats over non disguised intervention by NATO  | [23][26][27]
24 February 2022  | “Interference” in Ukraine by outside powers  | 24 February 2022  | Reduction in gas supply to the west  | [20]
February 2022  | NATO troops and missiles to be withdrawn from Russia's western border  | February 2022  |  | [28]
February 2022  | NATO to stop eastward expansion and reverses back to position in 1997  | February 2022  |  | [28]
March 2022  | No introducing a “no-fly” zone  | not broken |  | [29]
March 2022  | No more western arms to Ukraine  | March 2022  | Convoys will be considered legitimate targets  | [30][20]
March 2022  | No MiG-29 fighter jets  | March 2023  | Supplied MiG's will be destroyed  | [8]
April 2022  | No foreign intervention in war  | not broken |  | [31][20]
June 2022  | No long-range missiles  | June 2022  | New targets hit by Russian missiles  | [32][20]
June 2022  | No Western made missiles to be fired into Russia  | Dec 2023  |  | [33]

[34] [35]

August 2022  | No supplying old Soviet tanks to Ukraine  | August 2022  |  | [36]
September 2022  | Germany's supply of lethal weapons to Ukraine crosses a red line  | September 2022  |  | [37]
September 2022  | Russian setbacks on battlefield will result in nuclear holocaust  | September 2022  |  | [38]
September 2022  | Not to threaten the territorial integrity of Russia
(as its borders were prior to 2014)  | 22 May 2023  |  | [38]

[39] [40]

September 2022  | Not to supply longer range battlefield missiles (greater than HIMARS's current 80 kilometres (50 mi))  | May 2023  | Red line pulled back  | [41] [42]
November 2022  | Not to supply Patriot Missile system | April 2023  |  | [43]
January 2023  | No modern western tanks to be supplied to Ukraine  | January 2023  | Comments about it being an "extremely dangerous" action  | [44] [42]
May 2023  | No F-16 fighter jets  | pending | Comments about it being a "colossal risk"  | [45]
June 2023  | No HIMARS or Storm Shadow missiles to attack Russian territory

(as its borders were prior to 2014)

| not broken |  | [6]
September 2023  | No US ATACM longer range missiles to attack Russian territory  | October 2023  | Putin said in October, US deliveries of the long-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) to Ukraine was "another mistake"  | [46][47] [48]

Current red lines

### Western red lines[edit]

Date notified  | Red line  | Date broken  | Consequences  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

Through 2021  | Russia not to invade Ukraine  | February 2022  | Immediate sanctions | [49]
February 2022  | Threats against a NATO country  | several times against Poland and Baltic countries  |  | [50]
February 2022  | Not to surrender the independent right of any country to apply to join NATO  | not broken |  | [51]
March 2022  | No chemical weapons  | broken [52] |  | [53]
International law  | Murder and abduction of children | 2022-2023  | International Criminal Court arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova | [54]
NATO rules  | Interfering with civilian ships belonging to NATO countries in the Black Sea
Russian warships stop and board NATO member civilian ship (Turkish) in international waters  | August 2023  | NATO warships from Romania and Bulgaria patrol and sweep Ukrainian grain corridor for mines  | [55]

## Tactics used to contravene red lines[edit]

The handover of the first Leopard 2 tanks provided by Poland to Ukraine in February 2023

Red lines come in differing levels of severity. Some of these are bluffs, with parties to the conflict having given many red lines that were transcended without issue during the last decade. To counter red line policies, a number of tactics have been employed by the belligerents and non-belligerents alike. Such counter-measures aim to allow the crossing of red lines with significantly fewer or no consequences.[8][56][57][original research?]

* Noise - The West has often employed a tactic of “noise” before a decision is seen to take place to cross a Russian red line. This noise is often employed in the form of having a public debate, frequently over a month or even longer involving numerous countries. Often times these debates involve the possibility of the first weapon being sent from, or via, a third country. Once this has occurred and a small number of arms have arrived already, the red line has effectively been diluted without a significant reaction. Because of the noise surrounding the discussions, no one event can be seen to be a significant or important enough event to be defined as the red line crossing moment.[58][20]

* Undermining the red line - Another tactic used is the supplying of something similar to a red line weapon, such as the supply of modern tanks. For example, when France agreed to supply a number of AMX-10 RC wheeled modern “tanks”. These wheeled tanks were not exactly what Ukraine wanted or needed, and as a result it caused very little reaction from the Russian Federation while also enabling the ability to further dilute the debate of whether it was wheeled vehicles or tracked vehicles which the Russian Federation objected to, rather than the fact it was a "modern western" tank. Following this, Challenger 2 tanks were then promised in addition to modern Leopard 2 and M1 Abrams tanks.[59][60]

* Similar, but not as good - With long range missiles, the Russian Federation objected to the United States of America supplying ATACMS with a range of 300 km, as the missiles could be used to attack targets in Russia. In response to this, the United Kingdom supplied its “Storm Shadow’’ cruise missiles with a range of 250 km. These weapons allowed Ukraine to strike into Russian-held territory in Eastern Ukraine, while also having enough range to hit valuable targets within the legal borders of the Russian Federation. This enables Ukraine to destroy command and logistics centres located in occupied Ukraine that had previously been moved back out of HIMARS range. The Russian Federation having a hard-line on the 300 km range found its red line diluted, and there was no tangible reaction.[61]

* Drip feed - A decision to supply a large quantity of modern tanks would likely provoke an immediate reaction from the Russian Federation, however when a decision is made for a country to supply a number as small as four tanks, another country may supply seven, and a third country another four. If aid is given in this manner, Russia seems unable to show that a red line has been crossed. By drip feeding from multiple countries, no one country attracts a significant adverse reaction from what is effectively directly crossing a red line.[62][63][64][20]

* Calling the Bluff - Belligerents have few options to retaliate in a meaningful way against other parties for a breach of a red-lines, without significantly widening the scope of the war, or resorting to a nuclear option.[65]

## Effect of red lines[edit]

Red lines set by Russia have had an effect. The United Kingdom, apart from refusing to have British soldiers participate, have supplied most pieces of equipment and undertaken training missions that they are in a position to do, however many other countries have shown timidity and concern over the red lines, resulting in a lack of, or delay in, providing assistance to Ukraine.[66]

Russia appears to generally abide by the Western red lines, although certain chemical weapons deployed are pushing the boundaries,[67] as is the treatment of civilians, especially Ukrainian children.

## Red lines of non-belligerent states[edit]

Many countries outside of the direct belligerents active in the Russo-Ukrainian war have interests within it. As a result, this has caused foreign parties such as the United Kingdom, the United States, and the People's Republic of China to establish their own so-called red lines.

When the international community refers to the crossing of "red lines" it tends to be limited to the use of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and the supply of other lethal weapons. Below, a small list of such red lines has been provided.

* The People's Republic of China was warned by the United States not to supply lethal weapons to Russia,[68] or else it would face secondary sanctions.
* South Korea was warned by Russia that supplying weapons would cross a red-line,[69] whereby Russia would respond by supplying weapons to North Korea.
* The European Council of the European Union implicitly drew a red line when the authorities of Georgia rejected a judicial reform and European Union loan package to reduce the influence of pro-Russia billionaires in the country, by offering EU membership candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova (but not Georgia) in June 2022.[70]
* Iran was warned that supplying missiles to Russia would cross a red-line[71] resulting in secondary sanctions.
* China has told Russia it would cross a red-line by using nuclear weapons in Ukraine,[72] whereby China would stop implicitly supporting Russia in the war.

## See also[edit]

* Modern history portal
* Russia portal
* Ukraine portal

* List of military aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War
* Timeline of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
* China's final warning, a mocking term for "red lines" that hold no real consequences

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Any "red lines" left for Putin?". 31 January 2023.
2. ^ "The path to peace in Ukraine runs directly through Putin's red lines". 14 February 2023.
3. ^ "Russian Attack on Ukraine: Turning-point in the history of Euro-Atlantic Security breaches of its red lines". 3 March 2022.
4. ^ "Putin ponders: Should Russia try to take Kyiv again?". 14 June 2023.
5. ^ "The Russo-Ukrainian War and the Durability of Deterrence". 4 December 2023.
6. ^ a b "ANALYSIS: The Evolution of Russia's 'Red Lines' and Nuclear Threats". 26 October 2023.
7. ^ a b "Biden shows growing appetite to cross Putin's red lines". 1 June 2023.
8. ^ a b c d "Arming Ukraine without crossing Russia's red lines". 6 April 2023.
9. ^ "Putin Has No Red Lines". 1 January 2023.
10. ^ "Blinken: Crimea a 'red line' for Putin as Ukraine weighs plans to retake it". 15 February 2023.
11. ^ ""UNTIL WE LIBERATE CRIMEA, WE CANNOT TALK ABOUT LONG-TERM PEACE AND SECURITY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS." – DENYS SHMYHAL, PRIME MINISTER OF UKRAINE". Retrieved 25 August 2023.
12. ^ "Tacit rules to avoid a NATO-Russia war". 14 March 2022.
13. ^ "Deterrence and defence". 19 July 2023.
14. ^ "NATO has no plans to send troops into Ukraine, Stoltenberg says". 24 February 2022.
15. ^ "NATO won't establish no-fly zone over Ukraine, Stoltenberg says". 4 March 2022.
16. ^ "The United States and Allies Sharing Intelligence with Ukraine". 9 May 2022.
17. ^ "U.S., NATO countries announce massive weapons package for Ukraine". 20 January 2023.
18. ^ "NATO Weapons Must Not Be Used to Attack Russian Territory, Says Scholz". 5 February 2023.
19. ^ "Ukrainian Intelligence Announces Landing Operation in Crimea". Live UA Map.
20. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Russia's "ultimate" red line is as hollow as the first ten". 3 October 2023.
21. ^ a b "Ukraine: Russia's "red line"". 18 February 2022.
22. ^ a b c "NATO expansion in Ukraine a 'red line' for Putin, Kremlin says". 27 September 2021.
23. ^ a b "Putin's 'red line' over Ukraine: a new test of European and transatlantic resolve". December 2021.
24. ^ Adams, Paul (12 April 2023). "Ukraine war: Leak shows Western special forces on the ground". BBC. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
25. ^ Sabbagh, Dan; Connolly, Kate (4 Mar 2024). "British soldiers 'on the ground' in Ukraine, says German military leak". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
26. ^ "Who supplies weapons to Ukraine?". 14 February 2022.
27. ^ "NATO Countries Pour Weapons Into Ukraine, Risking Conflict With Russia". 2 March 2022.
28. ^ a b "Will markets take the strain from the Russia-Ukraine crisis?". 24 February 2022.
29. ^ "Putin says sanctions over Ukraine are like a declaration of war". 5 March 2022.
30. ^ "Western arms convoys to Ukraine are 'legitimate targets,' Russia warns". 11 March 2022.
31. ^ "Ukraine war: Putin warns against foreign intervention". 27 April 2022.
32. ^ "Putin warns United States against supplying Ukraine longer range missiles". 5 June 2022.
33. ^ "Russia warns West of weapons repercussions, pounds Ukraine". 2 June 2022.
34. ^ "Shelling kills 21 in Russian city of Belgorod following Moscow's aerial attacks across Ukraine". Associated Press. Dec 31, 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
35. ^ Krasteva, Gergana (Feb 15, 2024). "Ukraine's 'Vampire' projectiles strike Russian shopping centre, killing six". METRO. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
36. ^ "Ukrainians Thank North Macedonia For Supply Of Soviet-Era Tanks". 6 August 2022.
37. ^ "Russian Envoy Warns Germany about Passed 'Red Line'". 12 September 2022.
38. ^ a b "Biden shows growing appetite to cross Putin's red lines". 1 June 2023.
39. ^ "Belgorod: Russian paramilitary group vows more incursions". BBC. 25 May 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
40. ^ Smith, Patrick (May 25, 2023). "Pro-Ukraine border raid exposes Russian defenses and divisions". NBC News. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
41. ^ "Russia says longer-range U.S. missiles for Kyiv would cross red line". 15 September 2022.
42. ^ a b "Russian hawks push Putin to escalate as US crosses more 'red lines'". 12 September 2023.
43. ^ "Don't arm Ukraine with Patriot missiles, Ex-Russian president Medvedev warns 'criminal entity' NATO". 29 November 2022.
44. ^ "Russia fumes at West's decision to send tanks to Ukraine, says red lines have been crossed". 25 January 2023.
45. ^ "Russia warns West of 'enormous risks' if Ukraine is supplied with F-16 jets". 20 May 2023.
46. ^ "Russia warns US not to provide longer-range missiles to Ukraine". 15 September 2023.
47. ^ "Ukraine Fires ATACMS Missile at Russian Forces for the First Time". 17 October 2023.
48. ^ "Putin calls US supply of ATACMS weapons to Ukraine 'another mistake'". 18 October 2023.
49. ^ "Where does Russia sanctions policy go from here?". 17 March 2022.
50. ^ "Russia-Ukraine crisis: How likely is it to escalate into broader war?". 23 February 2022.
51. ^ "Russia's Aggression Towards Ukraine – the German View: A Conversation with Minister of State Tobias Lindner". 10 February 2022.
52. ^ "U.S. Accuses Russia of Using Chemical Weapons in Ukraine".
53. ^ "Ukraine: Nato will respond if Russia uses chemical weapons, warns Biden". 25 March 2022.
54. ^ "Arrest warrant may signal the beginning of the end for Putin". 19 March 2023.
55. ^ "Russia risks war with NATO in Black Sea, former top commander in Europe warns". 16 August 2023.
56. ^ "The West must cross more red lines in the Ukraine war, says Lithuanian president". 12 May 2023.
57. ^ "The path to peace in Ukraine runs directly through Putin's red lines". 14 February 2023.
58. ^ "Any "red lines" left for Putin?". 31 January 2023.
59. ^ "Macron promises 'first Western tanks' for Ukraine". 4 January 2023.
60. ^ "UK considering supplying Ukraine with Challenger 2 tanks to fight Russian forces". 9 January 2023.
61. ^ "Britain has delivered long-range 'Storm Shadow' cruise missiles to Ukraine ahead of expected counteroffensive, sources say". 12 May 2023.
62. ^ "Poland delivers first Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine". 24 February 2023.
63. ^ "Media: Spain to deliver first Leopard tanks to Ukraine after Easter". 29 March 2023.
64. ^ "Ambassador: UK to provide twice the promised Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine". 27 July 2023.
65. ^ "Putin Is Running out of Red Lines". 24 May 2023.
66. ^ "Do We Want to Win in Ukraine?". 20 December 2023.
67. ^ "A Russian brigade admits dropping tear gas on Ukrainian troops, which would violate the UN Chemical Weapons Convention". 24 December 2023.
68. ^ "US ambassador to the UN says China would cross 'red line' by providing lethal aid to Russia". 19 February 2023.
69. ^ "Ukraine war: Pressure builds on South Korea to send arms to Kyiv". 8 July 2023.
70. ^ "Georgia's future may hinge on Russia's war in Ukraine". 20 March 2023.
71. ^ "ran will cross 'red line' with supplies of missiles to Russia - Kuleba". 5 January 2023.
72. ^ "China drew nuclear red line for Russia in Ukraine". 6 July 2023.

* v
* t
* e

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Part of the Russo-Ukrainian War

Overview

| General|

* Outline
* Timeline
* Prelude
* Feb – Apr 2022
* Apr – Aug 2022
* Aug – Nov 2022
* Nov 2022 – Jun 2023
* Jun – Aug 2023
* Sep – Nov 2023
* Dec 2023 – Mar 2024
* Apr 2024 – present
* Aerial warfare
* Defense lines
* Foreign fighters
* Information war
* Naval warfare
* Legality
* Map
* Order of battle
* Peace negotiations
* Ukraine's Peace Formula
* China peace proposal
* June 2024 peace summit
* Proposed no-fly zone
* Red lines
* Reparations
* Territorial control
* Women

|

Prelude|

* Reactions
* Disinformation
* Ukraine bioweapons conspiracy theory
* Ukraine and weapons of mass destruction
* 2021 Russia–United States summit
* 2021 Black Sea incident
* Belarus–European Union border crisis
* "On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians"
* Crimea Platform
* Zapad 2021
* December 2021 ultimatum
* 2022 Ukraine cyberattacks
* Zametil 2022
* Union Resolve 2022
* Stanytsia Luhanska kindergarten bombing
* British–Polish–Ukrainian trilateral pact
* Evacuation of the Donetsk PR and Luhansk PR
* Mobilization in Donetsk PR and Luhansk PR
* "Address concerning the events in Ukraine"
* "On conducting a special military operation"

Background|

* Dissolution of the Soviet Union
* 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine
* historical background
* Annexation of Crimea
* reactions
* War in Donbas
* 2022 timeline
* Minsk agreements
* humanitarian situation
* international recognition of the Donetsk PR and Luhansk PR
* Putinism
* Foundations of Geopolitics
* Novorossiya
* Ruscism
* Russian irredentism
* Russian imperialism

Foreign
relations|

* Russia–Ukraine
* Belarus–Ukraine
* Belarus–Russia
* Russia–United States
* Ukraine–United States
* Russia–NATO
* Ukraine–NATO
* enlargement of NATO
* eastward expansion controversy in Russia
* open door policy

Military engagements

| Southern
Ukraine|

* Snake Island campaign
* Siege of Mariupol
* Battle of Kherson
* Battle of Melitopol
* Battle of Mykolaiv
* Battle of Enerhodar
* Battle of Voznesensk
* Battle of Huliaipole
* Battle of Orikhiv
* Battle of Davydiv Brid
* Kherson counteroffensive
* Liberation of Kherson
* Dnieper campaign
* Destruction of the Kakhovka Dam

|

Eastern
Ukraine|

* Battle of Marinka
* Battle of Volnovakha
* Battle of Kharkiv
* Battle of Izium
* Battle of Rubizhne
* Battle of Popasna
* Battle of Donbas
* Battle of the Siverskyi Donets
* Battle of Sievierodonetsk
* First battle of Lyman
* Battle of Sviatohirsk
* Battle of Lysychansk
* Battle of Pisky
* Battle of Bakhmut
* Battle of Soledar
* Battle of Vuhledar
* Kharkiv counteroffensive
* Battle of Kupiansk
* Second battle of Lyman
* Luhansk Oblast campaign
* Battle of Avdiivka

Northern
Ukraine|

* Battle of Antonov Airport
* Capture of Chernobyl
* Battle of Kyiv
* Battle of Hostomel
* Battle of Vasylkiv
* Battle of Bucha
* Battle of Irpin
* Battle of Makariv
* Russian Kyiv convoy
* Battle of Moshchun
* Battle of Brovary
* Battle of Slavutych
* Battle of Sumy
* Siege of Chernihiv
* Battle of Okhtyrka
* Battle of Lebedyn
* Northeastern border skirmishes

Airstrikes
by city|

* Chernihiv strikes
* Dnipro strikes
* Ivano-Frankivsk strikes
* Kharkiv strikes
* Kherson strikes
* Khmelnytskyi strikes
* Kryvyi Rih strikes
* Kyiv strikes
* Lviv strikes
* Mykolaiv strikes
* Odesa strikes
* Rivne strikes
* Vinnytsia strikes
* Zaporizhzhia strikes
* Zhytomyr strikes

Airstrikes on
military targets|

* Chuhuiv air base attack
* Millerovo air base attack
* Chornobaivka attacks
* 7 March 2022 Mykolaiv military barracks attack
* Yavoriv military base attack
* 18 March 2022 Mykolaiv military quarters attack
* Berdiansk port attack
* Sinking of the Moskva
* Desna barracks airstrike
* Attack on Nova Kakhovka
* Crimea attacks
* Novofedorivka explosions
* Drone attack on the Sevastopol Naval Base
* Missile strike on the Black Sea Fleet headquarters
* Dyagilevo and Engels air bases attacks
* Makiivka military quarters shelling
* Machulishchy air base attack
* Zarichne barracks airstrike

Resistance|

| Russian-occupied Ukraine|

* Popular Resistance of Ukraine
* Berdiansk Partisan Army
* Yellow Ribbon
* Atesh

|

Belarus and Russia|

* Assassination of Vladlen Tatarsky
* Civic Council
* Irpin Declaration
* Killing of Darya Dugina
* National Republican Army
* Military commissariats arsons
* Ust-Ilimsk military commissariat shooting
* Black Bridge
* Rail war in Russia
* Stop the Wagons
* Combat Organization of Anarcho-Communists
* Rail war in Belarus
* Busly liaciać
* BYPOL
* Community of Railway Workers
* Cyber Partisans

Russian
occupations|

* Flags used in Russian-occupied Ukraine

| Ongoing|

* Annexation referendums
* Annexation of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts
* Elections in Russian-occupied Ukraine
* Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine
* Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol
* Donetsk Oblast
* Kharkiv Oblast
* Kherson Oblast
* Luhansk Oblast
* Mykolaiv Oblast
* Zaporizhzhia Oblast

|

Previous|

* Chernihiv Oblast
* Dnipropetrovsk and Poltava oblasts
* Kyiv Oblast
* Odesa Oblast
* Sumy Oblast
* Zhytomyr Oblast

Potentially
related|

* Black Sea drone incident
* Mystery fires in Russia
* Nord Stream pipeline sabotage
* Transnistria attacks
* Zagreb Tu-141 crash

Other|

* 2022 Crimean Bridge explosion
* 2023 Crimean Bridge explosion
* Assassination attempts on Volodymyr Zelenskyy
* Coup d'état attempt in Ukraine
* Bridges in the Russo-Ukrainian War
* Violations of non-combatant airspaces
* Missile explosion in Poland
* Operation Synytsia
* Attacks in Russia
* Bryansk Oblast raid
* Kremlin drone attack
* Moscow drone strikes
* 2023 Belgorod Oblast incursions
* 30 December 2023 Belgorod shelling
* February 2024 Belgorod missile strike
* May 2024 Belgorod missile strike
* 2024 western Russia incursion
* 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive
* Wagner Group rebellion

War crimes

| General|

* Accusations of genocide in Donbas
* Allegations of genocide of Ukrainians
* child abductions
* Attacks on hospitals
* Cluster munitions
* Incendiary weapons
* Landmines
* Russian filtration camps
* Russian mobile crematoriums
* Russian theft of Ukrainian grain
* Russian torture chambers
* Looting
* Sexual violence
* Mistreatment of prisoners of war

|

Attacks on
civilians|

* February 2022 Kharkiv cluster bombing
* Kharkiv government building airstrike
* 3 March Chernihiv bombing
* Irpin refugee column shelling
* Mariupol hospital airstrike
* Stara Krasnianka care house attack
* Mykolaiv cluster bombing
* March 2022 Donetsk attack
* 2022 Borodianka airstrikes
* Chernihiv breadline attack
* Mariupol theatre airstrike
* Mariupol art school bombing
* Kyiv shopping centre bombing
* Sumykhimprom ammonia leak
* March 2022 Kharkiv cluster bombing
* Mykolaiv government building missile strike
* Bucha massacre
* Kramatorsk railway station attack
* April 2022 Kharkiv cluster bombing
* Bilohorivka school bombing
* Shooting of Andrii Bohomaz
* Maisky Market attack
* Kremenchuk shopping mall attack
* Serhiivka missile strike
* Chasiv Yar missile strike
* Olenivka prison massacre
* Kharkiv dormitories missile strike
* Chaplyne railway station attack
* Izium mass graves
* September 2022 Donetsk attack
* Zaporizhzhia civilian convoy attack
* Kupiansk civilian convoy shelling
* Zaporizhzhia residential building airstrike
* Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
* 2023 Dnipro residential building airstrike
* Sloviansk airstrike
* Uman missile strike
* Kramatorsk restaurant missile strike
* Lyman cluster bombing
* 2023 Pokrovsk missile strike
* Chernihiv missile strike
* Kostiantynivka missile strike
* Hroza missile attack
* Volnovakha massacre
* 29 December 2023 Russian strikes on Ukraine
* 2024 Pokrovsk missile strike
* 2024 Donetsk attack
* Lysychansk missile strike
* 6 March 2024 Odesa strike
* 22 March 2024 Russian strikes on Ukraine
* April 2024 Chernihiv missile strike
* 25 May 2024 Kharkiv missile strikes

Crimes against
soldiers|

* Torture of Russian soldiers in Mala Rohan
* Torture and castration of a Ukrainian POW in Pryvillia
* Rape of Donetsk People's Republic soldiers by Kadyrovites
* Murder of Yevgeny Nuzhin
* Makiivka surrender incident
* Execution of Oleksandr Matsievskyi
* 2022 Ukrainian prisoner of war beheading

Legal cases|

* ICC investigation
* Arrest warrants
* ICJ court case
* Task Force on Accountability
* Universal jurisdiction
* Crime of aggression
* Criminal proceedings
* Vadim Shishimarin
* Alexander Bobikin and Alexander Ivanov
* Anton Cherednik

Reactions

| States and
official entities|

| General|

* Sanctions
* people and organizations
* restrictions on transit to Kaliningrad Oblast
* Military aid
* European Union Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine
* People's Bayraktar
* Signmyrocket.com
* Humanitarian aid
* Sanctioned yachts
* Relations with Russia

|

Ukraine|

* Application to NATO
* Be Brave Like Ukraine
* Brave1
* Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War
* Decolonization and derussification law
* Delta
* Destroyed Russian military equipment exhibition
* For Courage and Bravery (Ukraine)
* Grain From Ukraine
* Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief
* Hero City
* I Want to Live
* International Defence Industries Forum
* International Legion and other foreign units
* Belarusian Volunteer Corps
* Terror Battalion
* Black Maple Company
* Canadian-Ukrainian Brigade
* Freedom of Russia Legion
* German Volunteer Corps
* Karelian National Battalion
* Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment
* Norman Brigade
* Pahonia Regiment
* Polish Volunteer Corps
* Romanian Battlegroup Getica
* Russian Volunteer Corps
* Separate Special Purpose Battalion
* Sibir Battalion
* Turan Battalion
* International Sponsors of War
* Forced confiscation law of Russian property [ru; uk]
* Look for Your Own
* Martial law
* Mobilization
* Media Center Ukraine
* National Council for the Recovery of Ukraine from the War [uk]
* National Multi-Subject Test [uk]
* North Korea–Ukraine relations
* Points of Invincibility
* Recognition of Ichkeria
* Rescuer City [uk]
* Save Ukrainian Culture [uk]
* Syria–Ukraine relations
* Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra
* United24
* United News

Russia|

* highways in the annexed territories
* A290
* A291 "Tavrida"
* R260
* R280 "Novorossiya"
* 2022 Moscow rally
* 2023 Moscow rally
* 2022 Moscow Victory Day Parade
* 2023 Moscow Victory Day Parade
* 2024 Moscow Victory Day Parade
* 2023 Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly
* Blockade of Ukraine [ru]
* Bohdan Khmelnytsky Battalion
* Censorship in Russia [ru]
* Chechnya
* Pro-Ukrainian Chechen fighters
* Conmemorative Medal "Participant of a Special Military Operation" [ru]
* Conversations about Important Things
* Krasovsky case
* Legalization of parallel imports [ru]
* Manifesto of the South Russian People's Council
* Martial law
* Masha Moskalyova case
* Metropolis of Crimea
* Mikhail Simonov case
* Mobilization
* Recruitment of irregular forces [ru]
* Operation Doppelgänger [fr; ru]
* Opinion polling [ru]
* Orthodox Christmas truce proposal
* Wagner Group–Ministry of Defense conflict
* Russian Orthodox clergymen appeal against war
* Salvation Committee for Peace and Order
* Special Coordinating Council
* Ukraine bioweapons conspiracy theory
* Unfriendly countries list
* War censorship laws
* We Are Together. Sports
* "What Russia Should Do with Ukraine"

United States|

* 2022 Joe Biden speech in Warsaw
* 2022 State of the Union Address
* Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022
* Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023
* Disinformation Governance Board
* Executive Order 14071
* Pentagon document leaks
* Task Force KleptoCapture
* Ukraine Defense Contact Group
* Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act
* Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative

Other countries|

* Belarus
* Canada
* Canada–Ukraine authorization for emergency travel
* China
* Chinese peace plan
* Croatia
* Denmark
* Danish European Union defence opt-out referendum
* Federated States of Micronesia
* Federated States of Micronesia–Russia relations [ru]
* France
* Mission Aigle
* Georgia [ru]
* Germany
* German Taurus leak
* Zeitenwende speech
* Hungary [hu]
* India
* Operation Ganga
* Iran
* Israel
* Operation Israel Guarantees
* Lithuania
* Moldova
* New Zealand
* Russia Sanctions Act
* Poland
* border crisis with Ukraine
* Syria [ru]
* Taiwan [zh-yue]
* United Kingdom
* Economic Crime Act
* Homes for Ukraine
* Operation Interflex

United Nations|

* Emergency special session
* Resolution ES-11/1
* Resolution ES-11/2
* Resolution ES-11/3
* Resolution ES-11/4
* Resolution ES-11/5
* Resolution ES-11/6
* Security Council Resolution 2623
* Resolution A/RES/77/229
* Easter truce

International
organizations|

* Accession of Moldova to the EU
* Accession of Ukraine to the EU
* Brussels summit
* European Political Community
* 1st summit
* 2nd summit
* 3rd summit
* Madrid summit
* NATO virtual summit
* Operation Oscar
* Ramstein Air Base meeting
* EU–Ukraine Summit
* REPowerEU
* Steadfast Defender 2024
* SWIFT ban against Russian banks
* Ukraine Recovery Conference
* Versailles declaration
* 2023 Vilnius summit
* 15th BRICS summit

Other|

* Consecration of Russia
* F-16 training coalition
* Finland–NATO relations
* Finland–Russia border barrier
* Iron diplomacy
* Proposed Russian annexation of South Ossetia
* Recognition of Russia as a terrorist state
* Removal of monuments and memorials
* Streets renamed
* Ukraine Square, Oslo
* Serving heads of state and government that have visited Ukraine during the invasion
* Sweden–NATO relations
* Swedish anti-terrorism bill

Public|

| Protests|

* In Ukraine
* in Russian-occupied Ukraine
* demolition of monuments to Alexander Pushkin
* ArmWomenNow
* Ukrainian Artistic Front
* In Russia
* Angry patriots
* Club of Angry Patriots
* Anti-War Committee
* Suspicious deaths of Russian businesspeople
* Congress of People's Deputies
* Council of Mothers and Wives
* Feminist Anti-War Resistance
* Flower protests
* Marina Ovsyannikova
* Russian Action Committee
* North Caucasian protests
* 2022 Russian Far East protests
* State Duma initiative for charging Vladimir Putin of high treason
* White-blue-white flag
* In Belarus
* In China
* Great Translation Movement
* In Czech Republic
* Czech Republic First!

|

Companies|

* Address of the Russian Union of Rectors
* Boycott of Russia and Belarus
* "Do not buy Russian goods!"
* E.N.O.T. Corp.
* Igor Mangushev
* McDonald's in Russia
* Vkusno i tochka
* NashStore [ru]
* People's Satellite
* Starlink satellites
* Stop Bloody Energy
* Wagner Group
* Andrey Aleksandrovich Medvedev
* Death of Nemes Tarimo
* Yale CELI List of Companies

Technology|

* Anonymous and the invasion
* alerts.in.ua
* DDoS attacks on Romania
* DeepStateMap.Live
* IT Army of Ukraine
* Killnet
* Liveuamap
* Open-source intelligence
* peacenotwar
* Russian Asset Tracker
* Squad303 [pl]
* Ukraine Siren Alerts
* Wikipedia
* threat to block in Russia
* detention of Mark Bernstein

Spies|

* Diplomatic expulsions during the Russo-Ukrainian War
* Russian spies in the Russo-Ukrainian War

Other|

* Association of Azovstal Defenders' Families
* Black Sea Grain Initiative
* Collaboration with Russia
* We Are Together with Russia
* Concert for Ukraine
* Free Buryatia Foundation
* Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum
* Game4Ukraine
* Get Lost
* Global Tour for Peace
* Go by the Forest
* Guide to the Free World
* Mozart Group
* Olena Zelenska Foundation
* Open letter from Nobel laureates
* Pavel Sudoplatov Battalion
* Rubikus.HelpUA
* Ruslan Shostak Charitable Foundation
* Russia's War Crimes House
* Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online
* Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation
* Spain letter bomb attacks
* Yermak-McFaul Expert Group on Russian Sanctions
* Pavel Filatyev
* True Russia
* Volos Declaration
* Wimbledon ban

Impact

| Effects|

* Aircraft losses
* Casualties
* Americans killed
* Britons killed
* Canadians killed
* Colombians killed
* Israelis killed
* journalists killed
* Russian generals killed
* Economic impact
* Inflation surge
* Moldovan energy crisis
* protests
* Russia–EU gas dispute
* 2022 Nord Stream pipeline sabotage
* Russian debt default
* 2022 Russian oil price cap
* 2023 Russian oil products sanctions and price cap
* EU natural gas price cap
* Education
* End of the Whisky War
* Environmental impact
* Eurovision Song Contest 2022
* Russia
* Ukraine
* Eurovision Song Contest 2023
* Food crises
* Impact on theatre [uk]
* List of notable deaths
* Nuclear power plants
* Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant crisis
* Nuclear risk
* Religion
* Russian emigration
* The Ark [ru]
* Ship losses
* Ukrainian cultural heritage
* art theft and looting
* damaged cultural sites
* Trauma
* Urengoy–Pomary–Uzhhorod pipeline explosion
* Violations of non-combatant airspaces
* Women

|

Human rights|

* Humanitarian impact
* Ukrainian refugee crisis
* Sobieskiego 100
* UN Commission of Inquiry
* UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission

Terms and phrases|

* "And now I will show you where the attack on Belarus was prepared from"
* "Anglo-Saxons"
* "Bavovna"
* "Grandpa in his bunker"
* "Good evening, we are from Ukraine"
* "Orc"
* "Putin khuylo!"
* "Khuy Voyne!"
* "Russia is here forever [ru; uk]"
* "Russian warship, go fuck yourself"
* "Slava Ukraini!"
* "Special military operation"
* "To bomb Voronezh"
* "Strength is in truth"
* "Westsplaining"
* "Where have you been for eight years?"
* "Without you"

Popular culture|

| Songs|

* 12
* Bakhmut Fortress
* Bayraktar
* Bilia topoli
* City of Mary
* Flowers of Minefields
* Generation Cancellation
* Generation Z
* Oyda
* Hey, Hey, Rise Up!
* Mama ŠČ!
* Oi u luzi chervona kalyna
* Slava Ukraini!
* Stefania
* Ukraine

|

Films|

* 20 Days in Mariupol
* A Rising Fury
* Follow Me
* Turn in the Wound
* Ukraine on Fire 2 [uk]

Other|

* Babylon'13
* Back to the Cold War
* Borodianka cat [uk]
* Ghost of Kyiv
* Kherson watermelon
* Královec Region
* Madonna of Kyiv
* North Atlantic Fella Organization
* Newspeak in Russia [ru; uk]
* Patron
* "Putler"
* "Putinversteher"
* Raccoon of Kherson
* Saint Javelin
* Saint Mariuburg [ru; uk]
* Vasylkiv maiolica rooster
* Vladimir Putin's meeting table
* Walk of the Brave
* "Z" military symbol

Key people

| Ukrainians|

* Volodymyr Zelenskyy
* speeches during the invasion
* visit to the United States
* visit to the United Kingdom
* visits to Europe
* Andriy Biletsky
* Denys Shmyhal
* Denys Kireyev
* Denys Monastyrsky
* Denys Prokopenko
* Iryna Venediktova
* Kyrylo Budanov
* Mykola Oleschuk
* Oleksandr Pavlyuk
* Oleksandr Syrskyi
* Oleksii Reznikov
* Oleksiy Danilov
* Oleksiy Neizhpapa
* Ruslan Khomchak
* Rustem Umerov
* Sergiy Kyslytsya
* Serhiy Shaptala
* Serhii Sternenko
* Valerii Zaluzhnyi
* Vitali Klitschko
* Yevhen Moisiuk

|

Russians|

* Vladimir Putin
* Aleksandr Dvornikov
* Aleksandr Lapin
* Aleksey Nagin
* Alexander Bortnikov
* Andrei Kolesnikov
* Andrei Sychevoi
* Andrey Belousov
* Andrey Vorobyov
* Dmitry Medvedev
* Gennady Zhidko
* Igor Kastyukevich
* Ivan Popov
* Mikhail Mishustin
* Maria Lvova-Belova
* Nikolai Patrushev
* Oleg Salyukov
* Oleg Tsokov
* Ramzan Kadyrov
* Roman Berdnikov
* Rustam Muradov
* Sergey Kobylash
* Sergey Lavrov
* Sergey Naryshkin
* Sergei Shoigu
* Sergey Surovikin
* Timur Ivanov
* Valery Gerasimov
* Viktor Sokolov
* Viktor Zolotov
* Vitaly Gerasimov
* Vyacheslav Gladkov
* Vyacheslav Volodin
* Yevgeny Prigozhin

Other|

* Alexander Lukashenko
* Denis Pushilin
* Leonid Pasechnik

Related

* 2023 North Korea–Russia summit
* 2024 Korochansky Ilyushin Il-76 crash
* Anti-Russian sentiment
* Anti-Ukrainian sentiment
* Antonov An-225 Mriya
* Azovstal Iron and Steel Works
* Belgorod accidental bombing
* Brovary helicopter crash
* Bryansk Oblast military aircraft crashes
* Claims of Vladimir Putin's incapacity and death
* Decolonization in Ukraine
* Decommunization in Ukraine
* Derussification in Ukraine
* Demolition of monuments to Alexander Pushkin in Ukraine
* Foreign leaders that have visited during the invasion
* Institute for the Study of War
* Irkutsk military aircraft crash
* Ivanovo Ilyushin Il-76 crash
* Kyivstar cyberattack [ru; uk]
* Lady R incident
* Nord Stream 2
* Proposed Russian annexation of Transnistria
* Punisher
* Russian nuclear weapons
* Sarmat
* Russian military presence in Transnistria
* Ryazan military aircraft crash
* Siberian wildfires
* Sinhury mid-air collision [uk; zh]
* Soloti military training ground shooting
* Soviet imagery
* U-24 association
* Ural Airlines Flight 1383
* Voronezh military aircraft crash
* "The Vladimir Putin Interview"
* Yeysk military aircraft crash
* Moldovan coup d'état attempt allegations
* 2023 visit by Joe Biden to Ukraine
* 2023 visit by Fumio Kishida to Ukraine
* 2023 visit by Xi Jinping to Russia
* 2023 visit by Yoon Suk Yeol to Ukraine
* Wagner Group plane crash
* Yaroslav Hunka scandal

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