The Russia-Ukraine war, which began in 2014 and escalated into a full-scale invasion in February 2022, remains one of the most serious conflicts in Europe.

More than two years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion, fighting continues across several parts of Ukraine, while Russian and Ukrainian forces are also carrying out long-range missile and drone strikes. As of October 7, 2026, the war remains unresolved, with no comprehensive peace agreement in place.

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The latest fighting has again raised concerns over civilian safety, critical infrastructure and the widening scope of attacks in and around the Black Sea.

Recent Russian strikes have targeted Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine using missiles and drones.

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Ukrainian authorities have reported damage to buildings and infrastructure, along with civilian casualties. Russia has said its strikes are aimed at Ukrainian military and defence-related facilities.

The Black Sea has also become an increasingly important part of the conflict.

Recent drone attacks involving commercial vessels have raised fresh concerns about the safety of civilian shipping and international trade routes.

The incidents come amid a wider pattern of attacks involving Russian and Ukrainian military targets in and around the Black Sea.

Ukraine has continued to use long-range drones to strike targets inside Russian territory, while Russia has maintained its campaign of missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.

The fighting on the ground continues along a long front line, particularly in eastern and southern Ukraine.

Neither side has achieved a decisive breakthrough that has brought the war to an end.

The roots of the conflict go back to 2014.

Ukraine’s political crisis that year led to the removal of President Viktor Yanukovych after months of protests. Russia subsequently seized and annexed Crimea, while Russian-backed separatists took control of parts of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.

Fighting in the Donbas continued for years despite international efforts to establish a ceasefire. The Minsk agreements reduced the intensity of the conflict at different points but failed to produce a lasting political settlement.

The situation changed dramatically on February 24, 2022, when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Russia attacked Ukraine from several directions, including from Belarus in the north, while Russian forces also advanced from Crimea and areas controlled by Russia in eastern Ukraine. Russian troops initially moved towards Kyiv but were later forced to withdraw from northern Ukraine following fierce Ukrainian resistance.

How has the war developed since 2022?

The war has gone through several stages.

In the early months of the invasion, Russia attempted to capture Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities. Ukraine managed to prevent the fall of the capital and later launched counteroffensives that recaptured significant territory in the Kharkiv region and the city of Kherson.

In 2023, the conflict increasingly became a war of attrition, with heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine. The battle for Bakhmut became one of the most intense episodes of the war.

Ukraine launched a major counteroffensive later that year, but it failed to achieve the territorial gains Kyiv had hoped for. Russia meanwhile continued to strengthen its defensive positions in occupied areas.

In 2024, Ukraine opened another front by launching an offensive into Russia’s Kursk region. At the same time, Ukrainian forces increasingly relied on long-range drones to attack Russian military and energy targets far from the front line.

Russia has continued to control significant parts of eastern and southern Ukraine, while Ukraine continues to resist Russian advances and strike Russian military targets.

How much territory does Russia control?

Russia currently controls a substantial portion of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea and parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.

The exact area under Russian control changes as fighting continues, and estimates vary depending on the source and the date of measurement. Russia has also claimed the annexation of four Ukrainian regions, but Ukraine and most of the international community do not recognise those annexations as legal.

How many people have been killed?

The human cost of the war is extremely high, but there is no single reliable figure for total military deaths.

Military casualty estimates vary considerably because Russia and Ukraine do not provide complete and independently verifiable figures. Civilian casualties are also difficult to establish, particularly in areas under Russian occupation.

The United Nations has independently verified thousands of civilian deaths and injuries in Ukraine, while warning that the actual number is likely higher because many casualties cannot be independently documented.

Millions of Ukrainians have also been displaced since the full-scale invasion, both within Ukraine and as refugees abroad.

Who is supporting Ukraine and Russia?

Ukraine has received extensive military, financial and humanitarian assistance from the United States, European countries and other allies.

Western support has included air-defence systems, artillery, ammunition, armoured vehicles, aircraft and other military equipment, alongside financial assistance to help Ukraine maintain essential state services.

Russia, meanwhile, has developed military relationships with countries including Iran and North Korea and has continued to receive various forms of military and economic support.

Belarus has also played an important role in Russia’s war effort, including by allowing Russian forces to use Belarusian territory.

Is there a peace deal?

There is no comprehensive peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.

Diplomatic efforts have continued at different stages of the war, with the United States, European countries and other governments attempting to facilitate negotiations. However, major disagreements remain, particularly over territory, security guarantees and the future status of occupied Ukrainian regions.

Both Moscow and Kyiv have publicly outlined conditions for ending the war, but those positions remain far apart.

What happens next?

The immediate course of the war will depend on developments on the battlefield, military assistance to Ukraine, Russia’s ability to sustain its war effort and the progress of diplomatic negotiations.

For civilians, the continuing missile and drone attacks remain one of the biggest threats. The expansion of attacks involving energy infrastructure, military facilities and Black Sea shipping has also increased concerns about the wider consequences of the conflict.