One year on, the key battles of the Russia-Ukraine war

The war began at 6 am Moscow time (03:00 GMT) with a televised address by Putin.

"I decided to conduct a special military operation. Its goal is the protection of people who, during eight years, suffer abuse and genocide from Kyiv regime. To this end, we will seek to demilitarise and denazify Ukraine, as well as bring to trial those who perpetrated numerous bloody crimes against civilians, including against citizens of the Russian Federation, " he said.

The war on the ground started on four fronts: from the east towards Kharkiv; in the south from Crimea towards Odesa in the west, Zaporizhzhia in the north and Mariupol in the east; in the north from Belarus towards Ukrainian capital Kyiv and in the northeast, from Russia towards Kyiv; in addition artillery, missile attacks also targeted key locations.

The military battle in Zaporizhzhia started on February 27th. This is a major battle, because of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. 

On March 3rd, the plant was set on fire and attacked by Russian forces. The next day, Russian forces laid siege on the city of Enerhodar and captured it. The city is home to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. 

Attacks on and around the plant followed, with both sides blaming each other for the strikes. The attacks also drove the international community to express concern over a potential Chornobyl power plant level of disaster.

It was invaded on the first day of the war. As per Al Jazeera, by the evening of February 24, Russia had reached the city and had secured the Antonivsky Bridge: the main crossing over the Dnipro River in the city of Kherson. Months later, in November, the bridge was blown up.

In March, Russia claimed full control over Kherson, but a counteroffensive by Ukraine was able to push back Moscow's forces. 

The operation took months, but Ukrainian forces burst through the Russian front lines, targeting their communication, military, and transport assets. 

Finally, on November 9, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that Russian troops would be pulling out of Kherson.

The siege of this port city began on day 1 and lasted around three months. The city endured some of the most intense fighting and carnage.

Among the most gruesome incidents of it were the bombing attack on a maternity hospital on March 9th and the March 16th air raid on Donetsk Regional Academic Drama Theatre.

Pictures from the maternity ward bombing showed heavily pregnant women being transported from among the devastation on makeshift gurneys. Four were killed in this attack.

However, Russia denied that it was behind the attack and said "Russian forces do not fire on civilian targets".

In the attack on the theatre, Ukraine claims 400 lives were lost. However, reports suggest the toll might be much higher.

One of the key battles remains for the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. From day 1 the capital city was a target. By the end of the week, it was encircled. Citizens resorted to fighting using makeshift weapons like Molotov cocktails.

Despite numerous bombardments, Russia has failed to capture Kyiv.

However, from this key battle emerged stories of alleged war crimes; namely, the mass killings in Bucha.

Bucha, which is on Kyiv's outskirts became a strategic base for Russia. By the end of March, reports of mass killings of civilians made the headlines. Russia has categorically denied this war crime.

The fight for this Black sea port as per experts holds sway over the outcome of this war. The port handles a huge part of Ukrainian imports and exports and is important from a strategic point of view.

Odesa has been the scene of heavy attacks. In December, a drone attack on the city's infrastructure left 1.5 million people without power. 

Since the beginning of this war, Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, has witnessed destruction at a massive scale.

The city, as per American officials, saw the heaviest fighting of the entire conflict.

As per reports, more than 600 civilians have lost their lives due to shelling and fighting in Kharkiv. 

Amnesty International alleges that it is also the scene of Russian war crimes.

The organisation's report alleges that Russian forces had carried out a "relentless campaign of indiscriminate bombardments" in the battle. This includes the use of banned cluster munitions, scatterable land mines, and Grad rockets. 

While Kharkiv as a whole was not captured, Izyum, a strategic town in the province, fell to Russia in late March. It was recaptured by Ukraine on September 12.