February 24 marks three years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. What Russian President Vladimir Putin initially called a “special military operation” has since become Europe’s largest conflict since World War II. 

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The war has claimed tens of thousands of lives on both sides, displaced millions of Ukrainians, and pushed Russia into isolation from the West.

Recent comments by US President Donald Trump, in which he suggested Ukraine was to blame for starting the war, sparked outrage among Ukrainians. 

Also read: 'How long, how effective?' Ukraine’s military spy suggests ceasefire with Russia could happen this year

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Trump made the comments while addressing reporters on February 18 at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, following US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia about ending the war. 

Dismissing concerns that Ukraine had been excluded from the negotiations, he said, “I think I have the power to end this war, and I think it’s going very well. But today I heard [from Ukraine], ‘Oh well, we weren’t invited.’ Well, you’ve been there for three years. You should have ended it three years – you should have never started it, you could have made a deal.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded on Wednesday, saying that Russia was spreading disinformation.

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Also read: 'When Russians hide, North Koreans shoot': How Pyongyang's troops are reshaping Russia-Ukraine war

Who started the Russia-Ukraine war?

The war began when Russian troops crossed the Ukrainian border on February 24, 2022. Putin justified the invasion with claims that it was necessary to protect Russian-speaking civilians in eastern Ukraine and to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO.

However, tensions between the two nations had been escalating for years. In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea and backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, leading to a conflict that lasted for years and resulted in thousands of deaths.

Also read: ‘Realised I’m nobody, just a number’: Why Ukrainian soldiers are running away as war with Russia drags on

By early 2022, Russia had positioned around 150,000 soldiers along Ukraine’s borders under the guise of military exercises. Despite assurances from Moscow that there were no plans for an invasion, Russian forces launched airstrikes and crossed into Ukraine on February 24. Putin declared the invasion a “special military operation” at 6 am Moscow time.

“The purpose of this operation is to protect people who, for eight years now, have been facing humiliation and genocide perpetrated by the Kyiv regime,” he said in a televised speech. 

Also read: ‘Unfortunate’: Zelensky slams Trump for living in ‘disinformation bubble’ after false claim on approval rating

He added, “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.”

For years, Putin had dismissed Ukraine’s sovereignty, claiming that Ukrainians were merely Russians who needed to be reintegrated into Russia.

Where do we stand now? The human cost of Russia-Ukraine war

The war has taken a devastating toll. While exact figures remain uncertain, Zelensky recently said that over 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed since the full-scale invasion began. He also added that “tens of thousands” of civilians had lost their lives in Russian-occupied areas.

On the Russian side, the most recent official figures from Moscow, released in January 2023, reported just over 6,000 military deaths. However, US and UK estimates suggest the real number is far higher.