No, Ukraine didn’t start the war — here’s the truth
Russia invaded. Ukraine defended. This is the real timeline — not the version shaped by political spin or cable news soundbites.
Two leaders, two realities. Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) is seen visiting troops in the Kursk region on 12 March 2025, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (right) meets with his Armed Forces near the front lines in Donetsk on 22 March 2025. As Russia presses its offensive, Ukraine’s president remains embedded with those defending their country.
Left: Handout / KREMLIN.RU / AFP | Right: Handout / UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE / AFP
If you’ve heard someone say that Ukraine started the war with Russia, or that it’s all Zelensky’s fault, you’re not alone. Misinformation about the conflict has been spreading for years — especially from media sources with political agendas. Let’s break it down clearly and factually, cutting through the noise.
First, no — Ukraine didn’t start this war.
The short version: Russia invaded Ukraine — not the other way around. On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale military assault on its neighbor. Ukraine didn’t fire the first shot. It didn’t provoke Russia with missiles. It was invaded.
This war didn’t begin overnight. The seeds were planted years before.
How the war escalated. The real timeline.
Timeline of escalation. A visual summary of key events leading up to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine — from the 2014 ousting of Ukraine’s pro-Russian president to the ongoing resistance in 2025.
Here’s what was happening behind those key events — and why they mattered.
In 2014, Ukrainians protested against their pro-Russia president and eventually ousted him. After that, Russia annexed Crimea, a part of Ukraine, in a move almost no country in the world recognized as legal.
Around the same time, Russia backed armed separatists in two regions of eastern Ukraine (Donetsk and Luhansk), fueling a bloody conflict that killed over 13,000 people even before the 2022 invasion.
Over the years, Ukraine kept moving closer to the West — building ties with Europe, strengthening its democracy, and yes, even considering NATO membership. That made Putin nervous. He didn’t want a successful, democratic Ukraine on Russia’s doorstep.
So why did Russia invade in 2022?
Vladimir Putin gave a range of justifications for launching the war — claiming he was protecting Russian-speaking Ukrainians, preventing NATO expansion, and even denazifying Ukraine (despite the fact that Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is Jewish).
But none of those excuses hold up.
The real reason? Putin wants control over Ukraine — politically, economically, and strategically. A free, democratic Ukraine undermines his influence and threatens his long-standing ambition to rebuild a Russian “sphere of influence” across former Soviet territories.
Time and time again, Ukraine has made its position clear: We want to chart our own future.
