Ruslan NIMCHYNSKYI
Ambassador of Ukraine
to the Republic of Cyprus
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, aiming to destroy the Ukrainian state and its identity through military force.
This attack inflicted a major blow to the international order established after World War II, destabilizing not only Europe but global security as a whole.
Russia unleashed the first continental war in Europe in the 21st century, shaking the collective security framework built post-World War II. The world once again faces a regime bent on forcefully redrawing borders, signaling a return to totalitarianism.
Russia had been preparing for this invasion for years, waging informational and economic warfare against Ukraine, recruiting traitors within Ukrainian government circles, and building a vast network of agents, particularly on the Crimean Peninsula.
Crimea was the first target of Russia’s aggression. In March 2014, Russia seized Crimea and Sevastopol, and by April 2014, it began its invasion of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Despite being outnumbered, the Ukrainian Armed Forces, with the support of volunteers, halted the Russian advance and reclaimed some territories. Until February 24, 2022, the primary focus of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict was in eastern Ukraine.
The full-scale invasion that began on February 24, 2022, exposed the true nature of Putin’s regime, which for eight years had masqueraded as a “peacekeeper” and a neutral party in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
During this time, Russia spread misinformation, falsely claiming the conflict was a “civil war” and presenting the so-called “Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics” as independent entities when they were in fact Moscow-controlled occupation regimes.
The invasion of 2022 brought war to every corner of Ukraine. In the face of Russia’s overwhelming military might, the Ukrainian people have demonstrated extraordinary resilience, courage, and unity.
Russia’s imperialist war against Ukraine aims not only to seize territory but also to destroy Ukrainian statehood, erase its national identity, and commit genocide against its people. The Russian regime, supported by widespread racist ideology, denies Ukrainians their right to exist as a distinct nation, with those opposing this view subjected to physical destruction.
In occupied territories, Russia has implemented horrific tactics reminiscent of Nazism: mass executions, deportations, mistreatment of civilians, looting, and the theft of cultural artifacts.
The atrocities in Bucha, Izyum, and Mariupol are stark examples of Moscow’s genocidal intentions. The world has been horrified by the war crimes, murders, and sexual violence committed by Russian forces.
Unable to succeed on the battlefield, Russia resorts to barbaric missile strikes on Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure, targeting civilian areas with little regard for human life.
On February 14, 2025, at 01:59 a.m., a Russian drone with an explosive warhead struck the New Safe Confinement (NSC) Arch, which was built to enclose the damaged fourth reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. This direct hit on a vital nuclear facility poses a grave global threat, demonstrating Russia’s utter disregard for international law and its failure to consider the long-term consequences of such reckless attacks.
The full-scale invasion has only strengthened Ukrainian unity. National cohesion has become the bedrock of Ukraine’s successful resistance. Russian troops were halted by the collective efforts of the Ukrainian people—those who took up arms in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the volunteer movement.
Ukraine’s resistance is not just a fight for survival; it is a battle to preserve its European aspirations, its national identity, and the values that align it with the democratic world. Ukrainians are sacrificing their lives for a free and democratic Europe.
Ukraine’s victory is critical for global stability. Russia’s blatant violation of international law is an attempt to dismantle the international rules-based order, weaken democratic unity, and drag the world back to a time of empires and colonial wars.
We are deeply grateful for the strong support of our allies, including military, political, economic, financial, and humanitarian assistance. However, Ukraine needs even more consolidated aid, particularly in the military sphere, to ensure a decisive victory.
Ukrainians have shown incredible resolve in the face of Russian aggression, effectively resisting it through military, diplomatic, and informational efforts, backed by powerful international support. We will continue to fight until every lastinch of Ukrainian land is liberated. Our society remains united to defeat the aggressor and build a democratic, rule-of-law state within the European family of nations.
Since 2014, Ukraine has fought a just war to preserve its sovereignty, its right to choose its European and Euro-Atlantic future, and to safeguard its territorial integrity. While parts of Ukraine remain under temporary Russian occupation, all ofthese territories will eventually be liberated. Ukraine will defeat the invader and restore its territorial integrity.