Country that was supposed to be destroyed in a week has been at war for 1400 days: today is fourth anniversary of russia's attack on Ukraine

At four in the morning on February 24, 2022, millions of Ukrainians woke up to explosions. On that day, russia launched a full-scale invasion that became the largest war in Europe since World War II. Four years later, on February 24, 2026, Ukraine celebrates this date again: bitter, difficult, but also a reminder of its indomitable nature.

The Ukrainian News agency tells how this war began, what has changed in more than 1400 days, and why February 24 remains one of the most important dates in Ukrainian history.

Nobody believed it would happen - and it started at 3:40 a.m.

On the morning of February 24, 2022, russian troops crossed the borders of Ukraine from several directions at once. They attacked Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mariupol, Kherson, and dozens of other cities. In his address, russian president vladimir putin called it a "special military operation" - in reality, a full-fledged war of aggression had begun.

For many Ukrainians, that morning is still vivid in their minds: hasty packing, queues to leave the cities, and the first reports of the killed. In a matter of hours, the country switched to a different mode of existence. Not a single Ukrainian family stood aside - some went to war, some left, some stayed and continued to live under fire.

11 years of aggression, but the world noticed only when the explosions reached Kyiv

It is important to understand that for Ukraine, this war did not begin in 2022. Russia occupied Crimea back in 2014, and started the armed conflict in the Donbas at the same time. So 2026 is already the 12th year since russia has been waging armed aggression against Ukraine, but until February 2022, the rest of the world was mostly looking away.

The full-scale invasion changed that. It put the war on the front pages of the world's newspapers, forced dozens of countries to impose sanctions on russia and start supplying weapons to Ukraine. What had remained a "regional conflict" in the headlines for years has become a challenge to the entire international security system.

1400 days that no one planned to survive - but did

As of February 24, 2026, Ukraine has been at war for over 1400 days in a row. During this time, the frontline has changed, cities have changed hands, and the enemy has launched massive missile attacks on civilian infrastructure. Ukraine has lost thousands of military and civilians, millions of people have become internally displaced within the country or have fled abroad.

At the same time, the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not lay down their arms. In the early days, many expected a quick collapse - Kyiv was supposed to fall in 72 hours, some Western analysts said. Instead, the Ukrainian military repelled the attack on the capital, and the army, which was initially inferior to the enemy in equipment and numbers, has become one of the most capable in Europe.