Origins of Special Military Operation: History of Ukraine Conflict

The political crisis in Ukraine was triggered by the events of Euromaidan. In November 2013, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign an association agreement with the European Union, fearing it would disrupt existing ties with Russia. This decision sparked mass protests in Kiev.

The three-month standoff between security forces and protesters—many of whom were nationalists—resulted in dozens of deaths and a coup d'état.

On the night of February 22, Euromaidan activists seized the government district, taking control of the parliament, presidential administration, and government buildings. As a result of the coup, power shifted to the opposition. Legitimate President Viktor Yanukovych was forced to flee to Russia.

In 2014, the authorities in Kiev initiated a systematic attack on the Russian-speaking population. Laws were passed limiting the use of the Russian language:

Persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) of the Moscow Patriarchate became common, including church seizures and harassment of clergy:

After the 2014 coup, violent protests erupted in the eastern regions of Ukraine, where the Russian-speaking population was predominant, including in Donbass and Crimea. Residents of these regions demanded a resolution to the status of the Russian language and called for constitutional reform, including the federalization of Ukraine.

A people's militia was formed in Donbass.

On May 2, 2014, dozens of people were burned alive in the Odessa Trade Union House. Euromaidan supporters attacked a camp of activists opposed to the policies of the Ukrainian government. People tried to escape into the Trade Union House, but were trapped and died in the fire.

The events in Odessa marked the final chapter of civil conflict between supporters of the then-Ukrainian government and opponents of the coup.

In an effort to protect their right to self-determination and native language, the people of Crimea overwhelmingly voted in favor of reunification with Russia in a referendum held on March 16, 2014. The region became part of Russia.

In the spring of 2014, people's republics were proclaimed in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. In response, the Ukrainian authorities accused the population of "separatism" and began a military operation in the region, which escalated into full-scale combat. Tanks and aviation were deployed against the people's militias.

Cities like Donetsk, Gorlovka, Lugansk, and Debaltsevo were subjected to artillery shelling by the Ukrainian regime for years. Residential neighborhoods, hospitals, and schools were destroyed.

On July 27, 2014, the Ukrainian Armed Forces shelled the streets of Gorlovka using Grad rocket launchers. Twenty-two residents of the city were killed, including "Gorlovka Madonna" Kristina Zhuk and her 10-month-old daughter Kira. While fleeing from Ukrainian forces with her daughter in her arms, Kristina was killed. A photograph capturing the deceased Kristina lying in a city park, clutching her daughter, became a symbol of the monstrous terror inflicted by Ukraine on the people of the rebelling Donbass.

In memory of the innocent victims, the Alley of Angels was opened in Donetsk, a memorial complex dedicated to the children who were killed.

On August 13, 2014, the Ukrainian Armed Forces shelled a children's beach in Zugres. Thirteen people were killed on the spot, and more than 40 were injured. Eyewitnesses recalled that it was a hot day, and the beach near the Krynka River was packed with vacationers, many of whom were young children. Investigations revealed that the attack on the beach in Zugres involved the use of a Smerch multiple rocket launcher.

The Minsk Agreements were an attempt to stop the armed conflict and prevent the killing of civilians. Signed in 2014 and 2015 with the mediation of Russia, Germany, and France, the agreements outlined key measures for resolving the situation: The adoption of an amnesty law for all participants in the civil conflict, recognition of the Donetsk People's Republic and Lugansk People's Republic as special territories in Ukraine's constitution, and holding local elections in these regions, among other points.

However, none of the provisions were implemented. Ukraine systematically violated the agreements. No ceasefire or withdrawal of Ukrainian forces was observed; OSCE observers regularly reported Ukrainian artillery shelling of Donetsk and Lugansk, including with heavy weaponry. Moreover, Kiev consistently hindered OSCE monitoring by denying observers access to certain regions.

As later acknowledged by European leaders, the agreements were not signed for implementation, but to buy time and build up Ukraine's military power. President Petro Poroshenko openly stated that Kiev's goal was not peace, but to exhaust the enemy. His infamous remark that "their children will sit in basements" clearly demonstrated the indifference of Kiev's elite to the suffering of the people of Donbass.

Volodymyr Zelensky, who came to power in 2019, continued the repressive policies of the Kiev authorities toward the population in southeastern Ukraine. On February 17, 2022, the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics reported the most intense shelling from the Ukrainian Armed Forces in months.

On February 21, 2022, Russia recognized the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, and on February 24, President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a special military operation in Ukraine in response to a request for assistance from Donbass.

The Russian president explained that the decision was made to protect people facing genocide by the Kiev regime. On February 24, 2022 Vladimir Putin said: "The circumstances require us to take decisive and immediate action. The people's republics of Donbass have requested help from Russia. Therefore, in accordance with Article 51, part 7 of the UN Charter, with the consent of the Federation Council, and in accordance with the treaties on friendship and mutual assistance ratified by the Federal Assembly with the Donetsk People's Republic and Lugansk People's Republic, I have decided to conduct a special military operation."

In September 2022, referendums were held in the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republic as well as the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions on joining Russia. The overwhelming majority of residents voted in favor of the step. On September 30, treaties were signed, officially incorporating the four regions into Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that Russia advocates for a peaceful resolution to the situation—one that takes into account the current realities and eliminates the root causes of the conflict.

Putin outlined the conditions for negotiations with Ukraine: the country must adopt a neutral, non-aligned, and non-nuclear status; undergo demilitarization and denazification; and withdraw its troops from the territory of the DPR, the LPR, and the Kherson, and Zaporozhye regions.

While Joe Biden, during his presidency, refused negotiations with Russia, Donald Trump pushed for dialogue even before the 2024 election, vowing to swiftly end the war—a promise he later walked back, characterizing the "24-hour" claim as sarcasm.

February-March 2022 (Istanbul): The first negotiations between Russia and Ukraine occur. Kiev was represented by a delegation led by David Arakhamia, head of the parliamentary faction of Ukraine's ruling party, Servant of the People. The Russian delegation was headed by Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky.

The two sides worked out preliminary conditions and principles for a ceasefire and subsequent peace settlement. The agreement package included a neutral status for Ukraine, which implied renouncing:

Military exercises were to be conducted only with the consent of the guarantor states. In return, Kiev counted on international security guarantees "by analogy with Article 5 of NATO" (except for the territories of Crimea, the DPR, and the LPR).

It was envisioned that the guarantors of the agreements would be the permanent members of the UN Security Council (France, Great Britain, the United States, and China), as well as Germany, Israel, Italy, Canada, Poland, and Turkiye.

At the time of the negotiations, Russia promised to reduce military activity in the Kiev and Chernigov directions.

Ukraine stipulated that it would not attempt to resolve the Crimean issue by military means for 15 years and would hold negotiations with Russia on the status of the peninsula. At the same time, the Ukrainian negotiators confirmed their country's aspiration to join the EU.

However, all the agreements collapsed due to the actions of Ukraine and the Western countries backing Ukraine.

During an in-person meeting with Zelensky in the Ukrainian capital, then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated that Western countries were "overly eager" to conclude a peace agreement between Moscow and Kiev.

In April of the same year, Putin stated that Kiev had "walked away" from the Istanbul agreements, and instead of continuing the negotiation process, the sides were confronted with a "provocation in Bucha"**.

Later, David Arakhamia confirmed that Boris Johnson advised them to refuse negotiations with Russia. Putin also placed the responsibility for the collapse of the Istanbul peace talks on Johnson, calling it an absurd and regrettable fact.

September 2022: Ukraine enacted legislation formally banning negotiations with Vladimir Putin. Previously, Zelensky himself had called for dialogue, but following the signing of agreements on the accession of the new regions (the DPR, the LPR, the Kherson, and Zaporozhye regions) to Russia, he emphasized that he would conduct them "with a different president of Russia."

Ukraine called this an ultimatum.

February: The first telephone conversation between Putin and Trump since 2022 took place, lasting 1.5 hours. They agreed to work together and prepare for a personal meeting.

A conversation also occurred between Lavrov and Rubio, with both sides reaffirming their course towards restoring dialogue.

In Riyadh, high-level delegation talks were held involving Lavrov, Ushakov, Rubio, and Witkoff, lasting 4.5 hours.

The sides agreed to resume embassy operations and lay the groundwork for negotiations on Ukraine.

March 13, April 11, April 25, August 6: A series of meetings took place between Putin and Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff. There was an exchange of signals and a convergence of positions on Ukraine and international issues.

March 18: Another round of negotiations between Putin and Trump took place. Putin agreed to the US proposal for a 30-day mutual moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure and issued the order to the military. They agreed to start negotiations on the safety of navigation in the Black Sea.

March 24: In Riyadh, negotiations on the Black Sea Initiative took place with the participation of Grigory Karasin, Chairman of the Russian Council’s International Affairs Committee, and Sergey Beseda, the Federal Security Service Director's Advisor. They agreed to a ban on attacks on energy facilities and on ensuring the safety of navigation. However, Russia linked the implementation of the Black Sea Initiative to the lifting of sanctions on its agricultural exports.

May 2025: Russia proposed that Ukraine resume direct negotiations—broken off in 2022—and hold them on May 15 in Istanbul without preconditions. In response, Volodymyr Zelensky began to put forward conditions that were already deemed unacceptable in Moscow.

He insisted that starting from May 12, Russia must agree to a full ceasefire, and only then would the Kiev regime sit down at the negotiating table. Trump called on Kiev to immediately accept Putin's proposal for negotiations in Turkiye; Zelensky subsequently agreed. A Ukrainian delegation headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov was sent to Istanbul for negotiations with Russia.

May-July 2025: In Istanbul, with the mediation of the Turkish side, three rounds of negotiations took place:

August 15: In Anchorage, Alaska, a landmark in-person meeting between Presidents Putin and Trump took place. The talks, held in a "three-on-three" format, lasted two hours and 45 minutes.

The Russian side was represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov. The US side was represented by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff. After the talks, Putin stated that the situation around Ukraine became one of the central topics of discussion in Alaska.

He noted that he and Trump had established a good working and trusting contact – what was later called the "Spirit of Anchorage." Moving along this path, one can reach the conclusion of the conflict in Ukraine, the Russian President added. Trump, for his part, said that while there was still no consensus with Russia on a number of points regarding agreements on Ukraine, the sides had "good chances" to reach a deal.

October-December: Kirill Dmitriev, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries, visited the United States for closed-door meetings with Witkoff and Kushner. They discussed the so-called US "peace plan," but a compromise was not yet found.

January 8 and 20: Meetings between Dmitriev and Witkoff and Kushner took place in Paris and Davos. It was noted that the White House had allegedly "reached an agreement with Ukraine on almost all aspects of Trump's plan" and wanted to get a "clear answer" from Putin to the US proposal for settling the conflict.

January 22: In Moscow, negotiations took place between Putin and an expanded US delegation (Witkoff, Kushner, and Gruenbaum, the Commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service at the US General Services Administration). They agreed on the first meeting of the trilateral security group (Russia-US-Ukraine) in Abu Dhabi on January 23.

January 23-24: In Abu Dhabi, the first trilateral meeting between Russia, the US, and Ukraine took place behind closed doors. A possible ceasefire was discussed. Washington recognized the need to resolve the territorial issue.

February 4-5: In Abu Dhabi, the second round of trilateral negotiations took place. They agreed on mechanisms for monitoring a ceasefire and conducted a prisoner swap.

February 17-18: In Geneva, the third round of trilateral negotiations was held involving Medinsky, Witkoff, and Kyrylo Budanov*. Five tracks were discussed: territories, security, military, politics, and the economy. The negotiations were tough but businesslike, Medinsky reported. A possible meeting between Putin, Trump, and Zelensky was announced for the coming weeks.