Oh my gosh, so like, Russia’s whole invasion of Ukraine? It’s literally been, like, the biggest drama in Europe since, I don’t know, forever. So, picture this—on February 24, 2022, Russian forces were all like, “We’re just gonna take over Kyiv, Kharkiv, and a bunch of other major cities,” and the world was like, “Wait, what?!” Putin tried to make it sound, like, super official by calling it a “special military operation” and saying he was just protecting Russian speakers and stopping NATO from getting too close. But, um, nobody was really buying that.
And Ukraine? Oh, honey, they were NOT having it. President Zelensky was out here like, “We’re not going anywhere,” and literally got the whole country—like, civilians and military alike—totally rallied up. It turned into this super intense war, and by 2022 and 2023, Ukraine actually managed to take back some major territories, especially in Kharkiv and parts of Kherson.
Okay, so then, let’s talk about the phases of this, like, totally exhausting war.
In 2022, Russia tried to do this full-scale invasion, but Ukraine was like, “Nope,” and pushed them out of Kyiv and the northern parts. Also, the West went off with sanctions against Russia, and Ukraine started getting, like, billions in military aid from NATO countries.
By 2023, Ukraine was feeling itself and launched this major counteroffensive. They got back a bunch of land, but like, Russia had all these insane fortifications in the east, so it wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. Oh, and then there was the whole Wagner mercenary thing? Like, Yevgeny Prigozhin—who was basically running this wild mercenary army—just randomly turned against Putin. But then, he kinda got handled real quick, so that didn’t last long.
Fast forward to 2024, and Russia switched things up by just trying to, like, wear Ukraine down instead. They stopped going for big advances and instead focused on dragging things out, hoping Ukraine would just, like, run out of everything. And with the U.S. getting all weird about its political landscape, military aid started to slow down, which was so not ideal for Ukraine. So, they had to start looking toward Europe for more support.
And now, in 2025? Ugh, it’s still a mess. Russia’s been, like, all over the eastern front, and they just captured Berezivka in Donetsk. They’re losing a ton of troops, but like, they just keep sending more in, hoping they can totally dominate Donbas. Meanwhile, Ukraine is out here struggling with ammo shortages, but they’ve been getting super resourceful, making their own drones and missiles. Oh, and they’re, like, super stressed about Russia’s growing presence in Belarus, because if Russia makes a move from there, things could get so much worse.
Now, the diplomacy part is where things get extra spicy. So, Trump and Putin actually sat down for peace talks, which, like, hasn’t happened in ages. And Europe? Freaking out. Some NATO countries are worried that this could mean Ukraine is about to get totally thrown under the bus. Zelensky is obviously still holding out hope for peace, but he’s also like, “Can Europe maybe step it up and give us, like, actual security guarantees?”
Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis is just awful. Millions of Ukrainians have been displaced, and Russian missile strikes keep taking out Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, so there are, like, constant blackouts. Oh, and Russia’s economy? Not great. The sanctions have totally messed with them, but they’ve been trying to work around it by trading more with China and India.
So, like, what happens next? Experts are so split on this. Some people think Ukraine might have to, like, give up some land and promise to stay neutral forever, which is just so unfair. Others are saying it could just drag on indefinitely, with a frozen frontline and European peacekeepers stepping in. And, like, worst-case scenario? Russia just never stops and keeps trying to take over until Ukraine is basically under their control. Major yikes.
As we get further into 2025, nobody really knows where this is going. The battlefield keeps changing, but at the end of the day, let’s see if these peace talks will actually go somewhere or if we’re all just gonna be stuck in this endless nightmare.
XOXO,
Valley Girl News
