Russia recognized the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic, two self-declared

breakaway quasi-states in the Donbass, on February 21, 2022. The use of force was authorized by the Russian
Federation Council the following day, and Russian troops entered both regions. Vladimir Putin, the president of
Russia, announced a "special military operation" on February 24, 2022, with the goal of "demilitarizing" and
"denazifying" Ukraine. This announcement marked the beginning of the invasion. In his speech, Putin expressed
irredentist opinions, questioned the legitimacy of Ukraine's statehood, and made up evidence that the country's
ethnic Russian minority was being persecuted by neo-Nazis. A few minutes later, Russian airstrikes and an
invasion began along three fronts: one on the northern front from Belarus towards Kyiv, one on the northern
front from Kharkiv, and one on the southern front from Crimea.