Timeline: Russia-Ukraine war leaves 50 days back

By Jeyhun Aliyev

ANKARA (AA) - Ukraine left behind 50 days since Russia launched a war on the country.

At least 1,964 civilians have been killed and 2,613 injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war on Feb. 24, according to UN estimates, with the true figure feared to be much higher.

More than 4.73 million Ukrainians have fled to other countries, with over 7 million more internally displaced, said the UN refugee agency.

Key moments from first 50 days of the war are as follows:

- February

On Feb. 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin greenlighted the long-feared military operation in Ukraine, marking a fresh escalation that has drawn condemnation from around the world.

Russia's military intervention in Ukraine was a "forced measure," Putin said.

Ukraine announced that it would impose a curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the cities of Cherkasy, Dnipro, and Mykolaiv as well as the capital Kyiv, the Ukrainian Center for Strategic Communications said in a statement.

On Feb. 25, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a general mobilization.

The Council of Europe suspended Russia's right of representation "as a result of its armed attack on Ukraine."

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Russia wants to replace Ukraine's government.

On Feb. 27, the European Union, UK, US, and Canada announced that "certain" Russian banks would be removed from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) banking system.

Meanwhile, the EU banned Russian civilian aircraft from EU airspace.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a Russian delegation arrived in Belarus for peace talks with Ukraine.

On Feb. 28, Ukraine applied to join the EU. The bloc approved a $554 million support package for the Ukrainian military. For the first time, the EU will finance the purchase and delivery of weapons and equipment to a country under attack, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

- March

On March 1, reports arrived of a 65-kilometer (40-mile) long Russian convoy heading towards Kyiv.

Stoltenberg said NATO is not going to be a part of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and will not send troops to Ukraine or planes into Ukrainian airspace.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkiye has no intention of joining in sanctions against Russia.

On March 2, US President Joe Biden announced the closure of US airspace to all Russian flights in response to Russia’s war on Ukraine.

The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a resolution censuring Russia, demanding that it “immediately cease its use of force against Ukraine.”

Russian forces entered the southern Kherson city and surrounded the strategic port city of Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine.

On March 3, the second round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks began in the Belarusian city of Brest. Kyiv and Moscow reached an understanding for a “joint humanitarian corridor” for the evacuation of civilians.

The UN warned that more than 10 million people might leave their homes due to Russia's war on the country.

The Ukrainian Interior Ministry said Russian tanks had entered the town near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southeastern Ukraine.

On March 4, Putin blocked Twitter, Facebook, and several media outlets in his country.

The US House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning Russia's war on Ukraine and expressed support for the Ukrainian people.

The UN Human Rights Council voted to investigate human rights violations in Russia’s war.

The UN Security Council gathered after a Russian attack on a Ukrainian nuclear power plant, with a senior UN official saying “attacks on nuclear power facilities are contrary to international humanitarian law.”

On March 5, Putin said attempts to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine by any country will be seen as joining the conflict. Putin said he ordered his country’s nuclear forces to be placed on high alert after British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said NATO is taking part in the conflict in Ukraine.

On March 6, the International Committee of the Red Cross said the evacuation of civilians in Mariupol had "failed."

On March 7, Russia declared a cease-fire for the evacuation of civilians from the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv, Mariupol, Kharkiv, and Sumy starting from 10 a.m. Moscow time (0700GMT).

The third round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine kicked off in the city of Brest on Belarus' border.

As of March 8, over 2 million Ukrainian refugees had left the war-torn country.

On March 9, Ukrainians tried to flee Kyiv’s northwestern suburb of Irpin amid intense battles.

A children's hospital was destroyed by a Russian bombing in Mariupol, said the city council.

On March 10, Russian forces bombed an evacuation corridor, preventing humanitarian supplies from reaching Mariupol.

Russia's and Ukraine’s foreign ministers met in Turkiye for talks.

On March 11, Biden warned that Russia will pay a "severe price" if it uses chemical weapons in Ukraine.

On March 13, Zelenskyy asked the US to allow Poland to transfer its MiG-29 jets to the Ukrainian Air Force.

On March 15, some 2,000 civilian vehicles had left the besieged city of Mariupol on an evacuation route.

The prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovenia traveled to Kyiv.

The UN said the number of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine had now reached 3 million.

The EU adopted a fourth round of sanctions against Russia, banning the export of luxury goods and import of steel products as well as targeting new oligarchs.

On March 16, Biden announced $800 million in new assistance for Ukraine, including anti-air and anti-armor systems and drones.

The International Court of Justice said Russia must suspend its "military operations" in Ukraine.

Putin said the presence of Russian troops near Kyiv is not connected to a desire to occupy Ukraine.

On March 18, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called possible deliveries of S-300 air defense systems to Ukraine "illegal," adding Moscow will not allow it and other arms deliveries.

On March 19, Moscow said it used Kinzhal hypersonic missiles for the first time in Ukraine.

A US defense official said Russia had fired over 1,080 missiles since the start of the war.

On March 21, Germany accused Russia of war crimes in Ukraine and said the EU will increase its military aid to Ukraine.

On March 22, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk announced that over 7,000 Ukrainians had evacuated from Mariupol over the past day.

On March 23, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a US probe had formally determined that Russia committed war crimes in Ukraine.

On March 24, Mariupol's city council claimed that Russia had illegally deported 15,000 civilians to Russia on buses.

Zelenskyy said more than 2,000 children have been kidnapped since the start of Russia’s war against his country.

On March 27, Zelenskyy claimed that 90% of the buildings in Mariupol had been destroyed by the Russian bombing, adding that "there is nothing" left in Volnovakha.

On March 28, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko said around 160,000 civilians were trapped in the besieged city.

On March 29, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in Istanbul, Turkiye.

On March 30, The UN refugee agency said the number of people fleeing Ukraine due to the war with Russia had reached 4 million.

On March 31, Stoltenberg announced that Russian units were not withdrawing from Ukraine but repositioning.

- April

On April 1, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President von der Leyen warned China that "any attempts to circumvent sanctions or provide aid to Russia would prolong the war."

On April 2, Mikhail Podolyak, an adviser to Zelenskyy, said civilians in the city of Bucha near the capital were found dead with their hands tied as Russian troops withdrew.

However, Russian authorities denied the claim, saying the alleged war crimes were staged by Ukrainian authorities and constitute a "provocation."

Russia's and Ukraine's presidents were highly likely to meet in Turkiye to discuss a draft peace deal, according to a Ukrainian negotiator.

Ukraine retook the entire Kyiv region from Russian forces, said the Defense Ministry.

On April 3, Ukraine's prosecutor-general said at least 410 civilian bodies were recovered in Bucha, Kyiv region.

Human Rights Watch said it had verified and documented war crimes by Russian "occupying forces" in the areas of Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv in northern Ukraine.

On April 4, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced the opening of a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians in Mariupol at the request of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

On April 5, Zelenskyy told the UN Security Council that the world is yet to see what Russia has done elsewhere in Ukraine after massacres came to light in Bucha.

The civilian killings in Bucha showed an "unbearable brutality" that Europe had not seen for decades, said NATO’s secretary-general.

On April 6, Biden accused Russia of committing "major war crimes" in Ukraine and vowed to inflict more costs on Moscow.

Stoltenberg said Ukraine has an "urgent need" for military support and noted that it is important that allies agree to further support Kyiv.

On April 7, the NATO chief condemned the "horrific" scenes from Bucha, saying those who committed the atrocities must be brought to justice.

"We are living through bleak times. Putin's ruthless war still rages in Ukraine," said von der Leyen.

On April 8, following a visit to Bucha, von der Leyen called the killings of civilians "unthinkable."

At least 50 people were killed in a Russian attack on a railway station in the city of Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region.

The EU adopted a 5th round of sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine war.

On April 9, the police chief of Ukraine’s capital said 40 victims that had been found in a mass grave in Bucha were civilians who "did not resist."

On April 10, the Ukrainian Office of the Prosecutor General announced that since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war, at least 177 children had died and 336 others were injured in the war-torn country.

On April 11, the Russian Church urged Russians to support the country’s ongoing war against Ukraine.

On April 12, Ukraine’s leader blamed Russian troops for planting mines while they were withdrawing from the northern side of the country and asked for this act to be considered a “war crime.”

Ukraine announced that in a special operation it captured fugitive oligarch and Putin's close friend Viktor Medvedchuk.

On April 13, Biden labeled the situation in Ukraine a "genocide" and called the Russian president a "dictator."

The Kremlin’s spokesman said Russia considers Biden’s accusation of genocide "unacceptable."

Zelenskyy proposed that Moscow exchange Putin's close friend Medvedchuk for Ukrainians in Russian captivity.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the Russian war on Ukraine has resulted in disruptions in food, energy, and finance, affecting 1.7 million people worldwide.

The US is providing Ukraine with an additional $800 million in security assistance ahead of a feared Russian assault on the country's east, Biden told his Ukrainian counterpart.

On April 14, Ukraine's deputy prime minister said nine humanitarian corridors would be opened to evacuate civilians from the country's besieged cities.

At least 198 children have been killed and 355 others injured so far during Russia’s war on Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials.

The Kremlin’s spokesman said there is no information about the future of Russia-Ukraine peace talks and called Belarus an “ideal platform” to continue negotiations.