If you ask ten different people who started the Ukraine Russia war, you'll probably get ten different answers depending on where they get their news. Some say it began with a single order in February 2022. Others will tell you it goes back to 2014, or even the 1990s when the Soviet Union fell apart. It's messy. Honestly, it’s a tangle of broken promises, historical grudges, and one very specific decision made in the Kremlin that changed everything.
The short answer? On February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin launched a "special military operation." That was the physical start of the full-scale invasion. But pinpointing the exact "start" of the conflict requires looking at a timeline that is much more jagged than a single date on a calendar.
The Man Behind the Order
Let's be real: the responsibility for the 2022 escalation sits squarely with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He’s the one who gave the command. For months, Western intelligence agencies like the CIA—led by William Burns—were shouting from the rooftops that a massive buildup of Russian troops on the border wasn't just a drill. Putin denied it until the very last second.
Why did he do it? Putin has been vocal about his view that Ukraine isn't a "real" country. In a massive, 5,000-word essay he published in July 2021 titled "On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians," he argued that the two nations are one people. He basically claimed that modern Ukraine was an artificial creation of the Soviet era. To him, the war wasn't an invasion; it was a "reclamation."
But there’s a massive gap between a leader's personal philosophy and the reality of international law. The United Nations and the majority of the world's governments viewed this as a clear violation of the UN Charter.
It Didn't Actually Start in 2022
You’ve probably heard people talk about "2014" a lot. If you want to understand who started the Ukraine Russia war, you have to look at the Maidan Revolution.
In late 2013, then-President Viktor Yanukovych ditched a trade deal with the European Union in favor of closer ties with Moscow. People were furious. They flooded into Kyiv’s Independence Square (Maidan). The protests were brutal. By February 2014, Yanukovych fled to Russia.
Moscow called this a "Western-backed coup." The West called it a democratic uprising.
Immediately after, things spiraled. Russia sent "little green men"—soldiers in uniforms without insignia—into Crimea. They annexed the peninsula in weeks. Simultaneously, a war broke out in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. While Russia denied having troops there for years, it was an open secret that they were supporting separatist rebels with tanks, Buk missile systems, and funding. So, in many ways, the war started eight years before the world actually started paying attention.
The NATO Argument: Excuse or Catalyst?
One of the most common arguments you'll hear is that NATO started the war by "expanding" toward Russia's borders. It’s a talking point Putin uses constantly. He claims the West promised in the 1990s—specifically to Mikhail Gorbachev—that NATO would not move "one inch eastward."
Is that true? It’s complicated.
There was never a formal treaty signed that banned NATO expansion. However, historians like Mary Sarotte have documented that verbal assurances were definitely discussed during the German reunification talks. Russia feels betrayed. The West argues that every sovereign nation, including Ukraine, has the right to choose its own alliances.
But here’s the kicker: in early 2022, Ukraine wasn't even close to joining NATO. There was no timeline. No invitation. Many European members, like Germany and France, were actually blocking the idea to avoid provoking Russia. This leads many experts to believe that the NATO argument was more of a pretext than a genuine "trigger."
The Roles of Key Players
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Before the war, he was a comedian. Many thought he’d crumble. He didn't. His refusal to leave Kyiv ("I need ammunition, not a ride") solidified Ukrainian resistance.
- The United States: By providing Javelins and HIMARS, the US became a central figure. Critics say the US pushed too hard; supporters say they saved a democracy.
- The "Siloviki": These are the hardline security elites in Russia who have Putin's ear. They are deeply suspicious of the West and believe Russia is in an existential fight for survival.
Was it Avoidable?
The Minsk Agreements (Minsk I and II) were supposed to stop the fighting in the Donbas. They failed. Both sides blamed each other for violations. Ukraine felt the agreements were a "gun to their head" because they required giving special status to rebel-held areas. Russia felt Ukraine was just stalling for time to build up its army.
By the time late 2021 rolled around, the diplomacy was dead. The "Normandy Format" talks (France, Germany, Russia, Ukraine) were going nowhere. Putin shifted from diplomacy to coercion.
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The Humanitarian and Global Fallout
The "who started it" debate often ignores the "who is suffering" reality. Millions of Ukrainians are displaced. Cities like Mariupol were basically erased from the map. Globally, the war sent energy prices screaming upward and threatened the world's food supply, as Ukraine is a massive exporter of grain.
Actionable Insights on Navigating the Information
When trying to understand the origins of this conflict, it's easy to fall into "echo chamber" traps. To get a clear picture of who started the Ukraine Russia war and why it continues, you should look for specific markers of credibility.
- Check the Timeline: Don't trust any source that ignores the 2014-2022 period. The war didn't happen in a vacuum.
- Verify Official Documents: Read the primary sources. Look at the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, where Russia explicitly promised to respect Ukraine’s borders in exchange for Ukraine giving up its nuclear weapons.
- Follow Independent Russian Journalists: People like those at Meduza or Novaya Gazeta (many now in exile) provide a perspective that isn't filtered through Kremlin state TV.
- Understand the "Buffer State" Concept: Realize that for Moscow, this is about geography. They want a "buffer" between them and the West. For Kyiv, this is about sovereignty. They don't want to be anyone's buffer.
The conflict is a tragedy of failed diplomacy and aggressive revisionist history. While the roots are deep and involve many players, the physical act of starting the full-scale war rests on the decision to cross a sovereign border with tanks and missiles. Understanding that distinction is the first step in making sense of the chaos.
Next Steps for Further Understanding
- Analyze the 1994 Budapest Memorandum: This document is the legal cornerstone of Ukraine's sovereignty and helps explain why the international community reacted so strongly to the invasion.
- Monitor OSINT Sources: Follow Open Source Intelligence accounts on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) or specialized blogs that track troop movements and satellite imagery to see how the conflict evolves in real-time.
- Read "The Gates of Europe" by Serhii Plokhy: This book provides the deep historical context of Ukraine's identity which is essential for understanding why Putin's "one people" argument is so contested.