40 million Ukrainians have lived through a year of terror. And although the Russian-Ukrainian war has been going on for 9 years, its bloodiest page was turned on that very day.
No matter who you ask in Ukraine, they will describe their February 24th to you in seconds. It is impossible to forget. And with a high probability, they will also tell you that you adapt to it within a week because you just want to believe that it will not get worse, but it does. Russia proves it every day.
The Russian Federation deliberately chose terrorist attacks against the civilian population as a tactic of this war.
From the first day of the full-scale invasion, when no one greeted the aggressor’s troops with flowers or appreciated the parade uniform of the invaders, which they carried with them, Ukrainian civilians began to be destroyed physically and very brutally.
We can talk about the moral qualities of the soldiers of the Russian army and what they are capable of against civilians, but let’s also understand that they were not prohibited from doing this.
Their command, the command of their command, and so on in a chain to the towers of the Kremlin, deliberately ordered not to spare civilians. And we have one year of evidence for this.
Unfortunately, this list of terrorist attacks committed by the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine is incomplete and unfinished. The war continues, and shelling, war crimes, and missile strikes do not stop. And the world cannot be silent or just condemn. This was not enough in 2014 and it is critically insufficient now.
We must call a spade a spade: Russia is a terrorist state. This has already been recognised by the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and the NATO PA. It has also been recognised at the national level by Ukraine, Poland, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and the Netherlands. But this must be recognised by every country that respects human rights and fundamental democratic values.
Can we imagine some European company giving ISIS cutthroats canned corn? Or the minister of foreign affairs of an EU member state travelling to negotiate peace with those who publicly executed people? No. So why should there be a different attitude towards Russia, whose soldiers shoot, torture, rape, and direct rockets at civilians?
You can’t negotiate with a terrorist, you can’t do business with a terrorist, you can’t receive representatives of the terrorist regime, let its athletes go to the Olympics, or go to the concerts of its artists. Terrorists must be fought. To deprive them of the means to carry out terrorist attacks, that is, to confiscate their money.
Terrorists thrive on impunity. Russia is an excellent example of this. And if democracy does not show its teeth now, and does not ensure a fair punishment for the aggressor, February 24th may happen in another country, and we cannot allow that.
Timeline Of Terror
March 2022
01/03/22 | Kyiv, shelling of the TV tower: 5 people died.
01/03/22 | Kharkiv, rocket attack on the city: Philharmonic Hall, Opera House and the Kharkiv City Council damaged. 29 people died.
Massacre in Bucha: Mass murder, rape and torture of the civilian population of Bucha. Photos show the streets covered with the bodies of dead civilians.
07/03/22 | Sumy, air strike: Russian aircraft dropped aerial bombs on residential areas of the city. 22 people died, including three children.
09/03/22 | Mariupol, maternity hospital: During the storming of Mariupol, the Russian air force dropped bombs on the city’s maternity hospital. 3 people died, 17 were injured.
14/03/22 | Rivne, the TV tower attack: Two russian missiles targeted the Rivne television tower. It was completely destroyed. 21 people died, and 9 were injured.
16/03/22 | Mariupol Drama Theatre: During the air raid, Russians dropped a bomb on the Mariupol Drama Theatre, which was used by civilians as a shelter. In front of the entrance “Children” was written in huge letters on the concrete. It didn’t help. The exact number of dead is unknown. According to the Associated Press, 600 people died.
16/03/22 | Chernihiv, shooting the line for bread: The Russians struck a line of people who were waiting for bread. 14 people died, dozens were injured. A total of 53 people died as a result of the shelling of the city on March 16.
29/03/22 | Mykolaiv: During the shelling, a rocket hit the building of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration. The building is half destroyed. 37 people died.
April 2022
03/04/22 | Kharkiv: Russians shelled residential buildings in the Slobidskyi district. 7 people died and 34 were injured.
04/04/22 | Mykolaiv: Rocket attack on residential buildings and a children’s hospital using cluster munitions. 12 people died, including a child. 41 people were injured, including 4 children.
08/04/22 | Kramatorsk, railway station: During the evacuation of civilians, the Russians fired two cluster rockets at the station. 61 people died, 7 of which were children, and more than 120 were injured.
15/04/22 | Kharkiv: The Russians bombarded the city’s industrial district with volley fire systems. 10 civilians died, including a 7-month-old child. 35 people were injured.
18/04/22 | Lviv: During the rocket attack, one of the rockets hit a tire fitting. 7 people died, and 11 were injured.
23/04/22 | Rocket attack on Odesa: On the eve of Easter, Russia fired 6 cruise missiles over Odesa. A high-rise building was hit. 8 people, including a three-month-old baby, died, and 20 people were injured.
28/04/22 | Rocket strikes on Kyiv: A rocket hit a 25-story building in the area of Hlybochytska Street. Journalist Vira Hrynych was killed, and 10 people were injured. UN Secretary-General António Guterres was in Kyiv at the time of the shelling.
May 2022
07/05/22 | Bilohorivka, Luhansk Oblast: The Russians dropped an aerial bomb on the school where most of the village was hiding. 60 people are believed to have died.
June 2022
27/06/22 | Kremenchuk, Poltava Oblast: A Russian missile targeted the Amstor shopping centre. 20 people died, and the bodies were so burnt that it was impossible to identify them. Approximately 60 were injured.
27/06/22 | Lysychansk, Luhansk Oblast: The Russians fired artillery at people who went out to collect water. 8 dead, 21 injured.
July 2022
01/07/22 | Serhiivka, Odesa Oblast: During the massive missile attack on Odesa Oblast, Russian missiles hit a recreation centre and a high-rise building in the village of Serhiivka. 21 people died, and 39 were injured.
14/07/22 | Vinnytsia: Three Russian rockets hit the city centre including one that fell near a maternity hospital. 27 people died, and 202 were injured.
09/07/22 | Chasiv Yar, Donetsk Oblast: The Russians shelled Chasiv Yar with multiple rocket launchers. They hit a five-story building. 48 people died, including 1 child.
September 2022
29/09/22 | Dnipro: As a result of rocket fire by the Russians, one of the rockets hit a private house on the outskirts of Dnipro. The whole family of four died, and only the dog Krym survived. A photo of a concussed dog calling out to its family has gone viral.
30/09/22 | Zaporizhzhia, shelling of a humanitarian convoy: The Russians fired 16 missiles at Zaporizhzhia. 4 hit a humanitarian convoy near the auto market. The convoy was waiting to enter the temporarily occupied territory to bring food and pick up relatives. 32 people died, and 118 were injured.
October 2022
10/10/22 | Start of missile terror: The largest missile strike of the Russian Federation since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Russia launched 84 missiles and 24 UAVs. Ukrainian air defence forces shot down 43 missiles. 11 important infrastructure facilities in 8 regions and the city of Kyiv were damaged. Power outages began in Ukraine due to damaged energy infrastructure facilities. 23 people were killed and 105 were injured in the shelling.
December 2022
24/12/22 | Kherson: Huge artillery strikes in the city centre. 16 people died and 64 were injured.
31/12/22 | New Year’s Eve rocket attacks on Kyiv: Around one o’clock in the afternoon, Russia launched a massive missile strike. Despite the efforts of air defence forces, Russian rockets destroyed the Alfavito hotel in the centre of the capital and private houses in Protasiv Yar. 1 person died, and 22 were injured.
January 2023
14/01/23 | Dnipro, building 118: A Russian Kh-22 missile hit a high-rise building on Peremogy Waterfront, 118. 46 people died, 80 were injured, and 9 are considered missing.
February-23
01/02/22 | Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast: During the rocket attack on the city, 8 buildings were hit. One of the rockets completely destroyed a residential building in the city centre. 2 people died, and 21 were injured.
Timeline compiled by the Golos Party.
:: Kira Rudik is a Ukrainian MP and leader of Golos party.