Russia invades Ukraine, triggering a global crisis
The full-scale invasion set off the largest war in Europe since 1945 and a sweeping international response.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine this year, triggering the largest war in Europe since the Second World War and a global crisis that reshaped geopolitics, roiled markets and energy supplies, and prompted a sweeping response from Western nations.
The invasion met fierce Ukrainian resistance, confounding expectations of a swift outcome and settling into a protracted and devastating conflict, with enormous human suffering, the displacement of millions, and widespread destruction across the country.
Western nations responded with sweeping economic sanctions targeting Russia and with substantial military and financial support for Ukraine, while the conflict galvanised and reshaped international alliances and security arrangements across Europe and beyond.
The war had far-reaching economic consequences, disrupting global supplies of energy, grain and other commodities, driving up prices and contributing to a surge in inflation that would weigh on economies around the world and complicate the recovery from the pandemic.
The invasion marked a profound rupture in the international order, shattering assumptions about peace in Europe and raising fundamental questions about aggression, sovereignty and the global balance of power, with implications extending far beyond the region.
The conflict became the defining geopolitical event of its time, a humanitarian catastrophe and a geopolitical earthquake whose consequences, for Europe, for the global economy, and for the broader international system, would be felt for years. The resilience of Ukraine's resistance drew admiration worldwide, while the war's course and ultimate outcome remained deeply uncertain, casting a long shadow over world affairs and marking a dangerous new chapter in international relations.