Our correspondents and youth voices tackled many facets of this complicated conflict. We give out the breadth of our Ukraine coverage to help you sort it out.
People in Brovary, Ukraine on 19 February 2023 kneel at a funeral procession for the body of a man killed during the battle for Vuhledar in the southeast of the country. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
One year into the Ukraine War, News Decoder looks back at a conflict that seemed to unfold like the five stages of grief.
When Russian troops amassed at the Ukraine border, the Western world was in denial. Then came anger when it appeared that Russia was, in fact, invading Ukraine. Bargaining came next once the United States and Europe realized that escalation could involve nuclear weapons.
The fourth stage, of course, was depression once countries saw that this conflict might continue for years. Finally there is acceptance, with U.S. President Joe Biden taking a secret train to Kiev to confirm that nation’s continual support of Ukraine.
To help you decode how we got from the invasion to where we are now, we compiled a range of articles from our correspondents about the Ukraine War.
Tomorrow, News Decoder correspondent Daniel Warner looks to the fall of the Berlin Wall and its aftermath to see that perhaps the invasion wasn’t so surprising after all.
Ukrainians united to protect their sovereignty.
- The war brought differing factions within Ukraine together, forging a new national identity.
- The political split in Ukraine was seen most clearly through religion. But the war seemed to force Orthodox Christians to take sides — and most found themselves drawn towards Kiev.
- For eight years, Dmytro Shelukhin has made London his home. But after Russia invaded Ukraine, this expat answered his native country’s call for help.
Russia responds to the West’s support of Ukraine.
- Despite conflicts on Earth, satellites orbit in peace. But use of Elon Musk’s Starlink to aid Ukraine had Russia looking to the sky with hostile eyes.
- Russia’s president has raised the prospect of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine. That’s a frightful notion — but it might not violate international law.
- Many Russians dream of a democratic future. But an onslaught of propaganda shields Vladimir Putin from opponents and obscures the truth.
- Logistics in war is hardly glamorous. But the first phase of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine exposed fateful failures in the attacker’s military support system.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the fall of the Soviet Union was a catastrophe. What was the USSR, and what does Putin really want?
Refugees find havens outside Ukraine.
- Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has pushed the global total number of refugees to over 100 million. Refugees are like you and me — but not always welcome.
- A Canadian emergency physician helped Ukrainian refugees fleeing their country. He tells us of his hopes for saving the life of one young man.
- Author and humanitarian Urvashi Bundel shared a poem that honored refugees fleeing the destruction wrought by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
- Ukrainian refugees come to Anastasia in Hungary for a night or two before moving on. We told the story of one Russian who helped refugees while war rages at home.
- More Ukrainians have fled to Poland than any other country. One student tells us what her family was doing to help.
The war permeates beyond Ukraine’s borders.
- How we perceive events like the war in Ukraine depends on our news sources. While never perfect, news media perform invaluable services.
- Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is likely to prompt firms to re-examine supply chains and bring business closer to home, even if that means lower profits.
- A conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is heating up as the war in Ukraine prompts geopolitical realignments, with implications for outside powers including the West and Russia.
- For more than 150 years, the Red Cross has remained neutral in wars. Today, it still defends that stance against critics as Russia ravages Ukraine.
- Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent millions of refugees into neighboring nations. One student tells us what it was like living in Romania, where the war had stirred compassion and fear.
Three questions to consider:
- Why were so many people and governments surprised when Russian troops crossed the border into Ukraine?
- Why can’t anyone seem to see an end to the conflict over Ukraine?
- What happened to people who have left Ukraine because it was so dangerous to stay there?