In an early Thursday morning of February 24, President of Russia Vladimir Putin declared a "special military operation", mentioning “the protection of people who have been subjected to persecution and genocide for eight years” and “bringing to justice those who committed bloody crimes against citizens” as its goal.

In this declaration, Putin announced that his plans do not include the occupation of Ukraine, only to demilitarize the country. He declared that Russia does not feel safe due to the constant threat from neo-Nazis in Ukraine, which lead to the "special military operations against the Donbas region," pointing to the protection of the separatist forces from the threat of the Ukrainian government.

However, the attacks were seen in various Ukrainian cities, large explosions taking place in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, and other parts of the country. These “unjustified and unprovoked” attacks indicate Russia’s attempt to destroy the state and seize it by force. Following the commence of Russia’s invasion, U.S. President Joe Biden denouced the attack, pledging that the world would “hold Russia accountable.”

Russia's February 24 invasion was foreseen. Three days ago, President Putin announced the measure in a speech on Russian state-run television on February 21, recognizing the mutually signed cooperation agreement between Russia and two breakaway regions in Ukraine, Donetsk People’s Republic(DPR) and Lunahsk People’s Republic(LPR).

President Vladmir Putin said he would send Russian troops disguised as peacekeeping forces to the regions, adding that he is preparing to take over Ukraine if the tension between government forces and separatist forces(DPR and LPR) escalates in Ukraine.

The root of the crisis can be traced back to the Crimean Peninsula invasion, which Russia took over the region and backed a rebellion led by pro-Russia separatists in the eastern Donbas region. This eventually led to mass protests in Ukraine, overthrowing their pro-Russian president Victor Yanukovych. Increasing tensions caused by this incident may have brought to pass the current situation.

However. the fundamental reason behind the war is Russia’s security instability over the possibility of Ukraine joining the NATO. Since Ukrainian president Vorodmir Zelensky’s winning, Ukraine has been making progress to gain NATO membership. This has fueled Putin’s sense of crisis, who has been trying to prevent NATO from moving eastward. In his speech, he stated : "Ukraine is not just a neighbor of Russia. Russia and Ukraine are indispensable parts of history, culture, and spiritual space." He also responded to threats by Western countries concerning economic sanctions by saying “we will never give up our sovereignty, national interests, and values," and ascertained that he would confront the United States and the European Union.