Wednesday marks not only Ukraine’s independence day, but six months since Russia launched its brutal and unprovoked invasion.
Since then, Moscow has faced serious accusations of war crimes, alienated itself on the world stage while triggering an energy crisis across Europe.
Ukraine has put up an astonishing fight against neighbour, meaning Russia’s plan to take the capital Kyiv (originally in just three days) was completely scuppered, and has galvanised support from across Europe and in the US.
Still, Russian president Vladimir Putin is unlikely to give up and is now focusing efforts in the eastern region of the Donbas.
Almost 6,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed since the war began, while a further 6.6 million have fled the country, according to Statista website.
Ukrainian officials also fear that Russia could land an especially heavy blow this week, in a sign of strength when the country usually celebrates its independence from the Soviet Union.
As it has been exactly six months since Putin first ordered the attack, for many Ukrainians, this will be a particularly poignant – if more sombre – independence day.
Here are six major events we should all be reflecting on from the last half-a-year of Russian-led violence.
1. Alarm over the nuclear power plant continues
An ongoing issue stems from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine. It is currently under Russian control, but Ukrainian technicians continue to operate the complex.
Ukrainian soldiers are attempting to re-take the land, but officials (including from the UN) fear that fighting near such a volatile site could have grave consequences.
UN chief Antonio Guterres said he was “gravely concerned” about fighting in the area, claiming: “Any potential damage to Zaporizhzhia is suicide.”
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that “the world is on a verge of nuclear disaster”, in case the plant is hit during battle, and he lashed out at “Russia’s irresponsible actions and nuclear blackmailing”.
2. End to the global grain dilemma?
At the start of August, one image prompted widespread relief. A cargo ship carrying Ukrainian grain finally left the port of Odessa, after months of being blockaded by the Russian forces.
It came after Russia and Ukraine finally reached a deal over the grain shipments in July, in the first diplomatic breakthrough since the war began.
Ukraine’s minister of foreign affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, praised it as a “day of relief for the world” as it is the first ship to leave the bay.
This is especially important as Ukraine has a reputation as the “breadbasket” of Europe, if not the world, as it provides a third of the global grain exports together with Russia.
The essential trade was cut off by Russian Armed Forces earlier this year, trapping 20 million tonnes of grain meant to be exported in Ukraine. This sparked the rise in global food prices, contributing to inflation and poverty around the world.
More than 25 cargo ships have now left the port.
3. The West has become closer
Ukraine has become a candidate for EU membership since the war began, although it has given up on its hopes to join Nato – for now.
Finland and Sweden, however, are on their way to Nato membership.
This all dealt a major blow to Putin, who many believe wanted to invade Ukraine so he could draw it closer to Russian influence and prevent further European alliances.
These official agreements with these three countries – two of which border Russia – suggest the war has actually pushed Europe closer together.
Outside of the EU, countries are also rallying with Ukraine. The US committed to stationing 100,000 troops in Eastern Europe back in June, and the UK promised an extra £1bn for Ukraine in the same month.
4. Accusations of war crimes continues to grow
This is not so much one milestone event that must be remembered, but another ongoing tragedy.
Russia’s cruel attacks across Ukraine, particularly on civilian areas, have led many people both within the attacked country and in the West to accuse Moscow of “war crimes”.
As Amnesty International’s Agnes Callamard said: “The invasion has triggered a huge human rights, humanitarian, & displacement crisis that has the makings of the worst such catastrophe in recent European history. Russia is breaching the sovereignty of Ukraine & challenging the global security architecture.
War crimes are defined by the UN as a serious breach of international humanitarian law committed against civilians or “enemy combatants”.
Here is just a handful of Ukrainian towns and cities where Russia has been accused of committing war crimes:
Bucha – A massacre was uncovered in the town back in March, after more than 300 residents were killed.
Mariupol – A maternity hospital was attacked, as was Azovstal steel plant.
Borodyanka – Russian air strikes hit eight residential apartments in April, killing at least 40 residents.
Kremenchuk – at least 18 people were killed in a shopping centre in April.
Kramatorsk – Around 39 people died after an air strike hit a train station in eastern Dontesk, in April.
These brutal acts galvanised accusations that Moscow was trying to exercise genocide against the Ukrainians.
As of May 31, the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office said it has already documented more than 14,000 war crimes.
5. The refugee crisis is still a pressing concern
Around 6.6 million Ukrainians have fled the country since it began. It has triggered the worst refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War.
Most of these refugees ended up in Poland and Germany, but some have ended up in Russia too – and Kyiv has accused Moscow of forcibly evacuating Ukrainians there.
According to the UNHCR, only around half of those who have left the country are under a national protection scheme.
6. Is there internal resistance against Russia’s aggression?
Soldiers from Ukrainian territory controlled by Russia refused to join in with Moscow’s latest offensive, according to the Ministry of Defence.
The MoD explained: “The fighters claimed they had fulfilled their duty in securing the LPR’s control over all of Luhansk Oblast, which was secured in July 2022, and were unwilling to fight in Donetsk Oblast despite threats and intimidation by senior commanders.”
The Ministry of Defence added: “Russia is likely increasingly struggling to motivate the auxiliary forces it is using to augment its regular troops in the Donbas.
“Commanders are probably resorting to direct financial incentives, while some combat units are deemed unreliable for offensive operations.”
The officials believe it comes down to Russia’s refusal to classify the invasion as a war, meaning the punishment for soldiers who resist is less severe.
So what’s happening with the war now?
The Ministry of Defence said in its Wednesday update that the war was still not going to plan for Moscow.
UK officials explained: “The Donbas offensive is making minimal progress and Russia anticipates a major Ukrainian counterattack.
“Operationally, Russia is suffering from shortages of munitions, vehicles and personnel. Morale is poor in many parts of its military and its army is significantly degraded.
“Its diplomatic power has been diminished and its long-term economic outlook is bleak.
“Six months in and Russia’s war has proven both costly and strategically harmful.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine is thought to be behind a series of attacks in the besieged peninsula of Crimea, which Russia seized in 2014.