War between Russia and Ukraine

The largest interstate war in Europe since 1945, launched with Russia's full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022 — a continuation of the 2014 annexation of Crimea and the Donbas war. Russia occupies roughly a fifth of Ukrainian territory and claims the annexation of four regions it does not fully control, while Ukraine resists with Western military and financial backing, now led by Europe amid a relative US drawdown.

After years of attritional warfare with nearly static frontlines, the conflict combines ground infiltration assaults, massive drone and missile campaigns against cities and infrastructure, and Ukrainian deep strikes into Russian territory. The US-driven peace process launched in late 2025 stalled in 2026 with no agreement on territory or security guarantees. With at least 16,400 verified civilian deaths, nearly 6 million refugees and 3.7 million internally displaced, the war continues to reshape European security, the sanctions regime and the international order.

As of 22 July 2026, the war enters its fifth year with a largely static front and Russia, per the ISW/Critical Threats assessment of 2 July 2026, losing the offensive initiative. Russian forces maintain limited operations on the Pokrovsk, Kupiansk, Kostiantynivka and northern Kharkiv axes, relying on small-group infiltration tactics rather than mechanized assaults, without confirmed significant advances; Ukraine launched mechanized counterattacks near Kupiansk (Kurylivka, Podoly, Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi) and clearing operations around Kozacha Lopan, while urban fighting continues in Kostiantynivka without Russian consolidation. Russia's air campaign intensified: overnight on 1-2 July it launched some 570 drones and missiles, mainly at Kyiv, killing at least 27 and injuring 91, and fielded high-speed (~500 km/h) drones on new frequencies that complicate interception; Ukraine sustains deep strikes into Russia (e.g. Lipetsk, mid-July).