Important Context:

The invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces is ongoing. Behind the actual conflict is the information war. Due to the proverbial fog of war, and the propaganda put out by both nations involved, it is hard to separate fact from fiction, and nearly impossible to find a source encompassing all true stories in a timely and efficient manner.

The news on this war is vast, and the best information that can be given is by collaboration with other news sources, as shown below. The hyperlinks below link to other news sources’ reliable reporting as well as brief breakdowns on what they contain.

The simple context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is as follows: The official invasion date of Ukraine by Russian forces is February 14, less than an hour after the clock rang in the new day. Russian forces have claimed to have invaded in a peacekeeping capacity, but that is debated by NATO members and other allied governments who state that Russia is invading for their own gain. Ukraine has continued to defend their territory.

Ukraine Conflict News Hub:

April 22, 10:05 AM

Ukraine war: Russia ‘plans to seize southern Ukraine’

Article by Matt Murphy

TL;DR

Russian Major General Rustam Minnekayev said that Moscow wants to take  “full control” over the southern portion of Ukraine. If these comments were sanctioned then that could give a lot of helpful insight into what Russia’s overall plan is and how the rest of the world should move forward. The harsh retaliation and guerrilla warfare from civilians and troops in Kyiv, which eventually led to the Russian troops being repelled, could have possibly led to this action.

April 13, 9:58 AM

Biden calls Russian war in Ukraine ‘genocide’

Article by Zeke Miller and Will Weissert

TL;DR

President Joe Biden has officially deemed Russia’s actions in Ukraine a “genocide” marking a major rhetoric change in the US administration. This term was used after the heinous actions conducted by the Russian armies in places such as Bucha and Mariupol. These areas have seen harsh fighting and the murder of hundreds of civilians.

March 21, 7:39 AM

Ukraine defies Russian demand to lay down arms in Mariupol

Article by Pavel Polityuk from Reuters

TL;DR

Russia gave an ultimatum to the Ukrainian government to lay down arms in the city of Mariupol by 5 AM today. They stated that if the city would surrender then those who laid down their arms would be allowed to leave by the Russian military. The city defied this ultimatum and continues to fight against the Russian military. Mariupol is a large city in the east of Ukraine, and has been an important target for the Russian military, with the city being bombed constantly.

March 16, 11:30 AM

Biden calls Putin a ‘war criminal,’ commits to new military aid to Ukraine

Article by Shannon Pettypiece from NBC news

TL;DR:

President Joe Biden, when asked by the press after a White House event, stated that Russian President, Vladimir Putin, was a “war criminal”. The United States government would also put into action a $800 million military aid package for Ukraine to aid in the war effort against the Russian military. This package would include many various items of military importance, from hundreds of anti-air systems, to thousands of anti-armor systems, as well as many firearms ranging from pistols, shotguns, rifles, grenade launchers, and machine guns. It would also include 25,000 pairs of body armor and helmets. This brings the total of aid to Ukraine by the United States even higher, but the US government still states its unwillingness to implement a no-fly zone in Ukraine, which would require the US to shoot down Russian planes above Ukraine and risk an escalation of the current conflict.

March 8, 11:39 AM

Biden announces ban on Russian energy imports

Article by Kaitlan Collins, Jeremy Diamond, Kevin Liptak, Phil Mattingly, MJ Lee and Kate Sullivan from CNN

TL;DR:

President Biden announced that the United States will no longer import Russian oil, coal, or natural gas. He said in his speech that he made this decision in order to “deal another powerful blow to Putin’s war machine.” He later stated this move would raise gas prices for Americans, but said it is necessary to put more economic pressure on the Russian government which is a large energy producer.

March 7, 12:00 PM

Why has ‘Z’ become a Russian pro-war symbol?

Article by Paul Kerley and Robert Greenall from BBC News

TL;DR:

The letter “Z” has become popular in the world as a pro-war and pro-Russian symbol. This symbol started to rise in popularity due to its use by the Russian military during the invasion of Ukraine. Z was written on many of the Russian vehicles spotted in Ukraine, with many different combinations with unknown meanings, but all around the Z has been seen on a vast majority of Russian vehicles in some aspect. A theory behind the use of the symbol has become one of the most common explanations, in which the Z is used to differentiate Russian troops from Ukrainian troops to minimize a friendly fire incident. Nevertheless, the symbol has become a key piece in the propaganda aspect of the invasion of Ukraine, with it being a simple yet effective symbol used by the Russian government and some citizenry to show support for the war and Russia as well.

March 6, 2:51 AM

Ukraine says over 11,000 Russian troops killed in war

Article by Natalia Zinets and Elaine Hardcastle from Reuters

TL;DR

According to the Ukrainian armed forces’ general staff on Sunday, over 11,000 Russian troops have been killed since the invasion of Ukraine began on February 24. This was up from 10,000 from the day before. This total is from the combined forces of the Ukrainian military and the Ukrainian citizens fighting against the Russian troops. The number of Ukrainian casualties have not been released.

March 4, 7:57 AM

In the nation’s darkest hours, Ukrainians look out for each other

Article by Daria Shulzenko from The Kyiv Independent

TL;DR:

In this time of need for the Ukrainian people, they are banding together in support for one another. These citizens are doing everything from buying up all the supplies in local stores and donating them to the community, to standing outside their house passing out food to fleeing refugees. Free medical supplies were being handed out by citizens. Some are even using their social media accounts to find those in need and get them the services they require.

March 3, 8:52 AM

Zelensky says 16,000 foreigners have volunteered to fight for Ukraine against Russian invasion

Article by Timothy Bella and Annabelle Timsit from The Washington Post

TL;DR:

In a video posted to his Telegram account, Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, referred to an “International Legion” prompting many to wonder what this could mean. This “International Legion” is made up of 16,000 foreign volunteers who are ready to join Ukraine to fight against Russia. While it is unclear where many of these volunteers are coming from, many are coming from neighboring post-soviet countries. President Zelenskyy said that the Ukrainians have “nothing to lose but our freedom.”

Live Updated Map

Live UA Map

Map by LiveUA, with data from civilians

TL;DR:

This map is a data crawler, meaning that it is an interactive map that is built on information used off of other sites such as Twitter and other social media sites. That being said, be cautious with the information that you find on this site due to the fact that most of it has not been verified and can be falsified by mass unreliable reporting on social media.

March 1, 4:43 AM

Ukraine cities face intense shelling as Russian convoy closes in on Kyiv

Article by Rachel Elbaum, Daniel Arkin and Alicia Victoria Lozano from NBC News

TL;DR:

On day six of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian artillery targeted areas in Ukraine’s second largest city Kharkiv. There are also reports that Russia used cluster bombs on areas with a civilian population, which Russia denies, and there are reports that when Russia hit a TV tower in Kyiv it caused the death of five civilians.  This comes as a Russian convoy reported to be 40 miles long slowly advances on the capital city of Kyiv, a target heavily sought after by the Russian military. All of this strategic movement comes at a time where the Russian economy has plummeted, with the ruble losing much of its value as sanctions hit the country and citizens rush to pull their money out of the bank. Russian airlines are also banned from flying in European airspace as well, adding more to the consequences placed on them due to this invasion.