The war in Ukraine has shocked the world. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 marked a significant escalation point in the Russo-Ukrainian War, which first began in 2014. 

While the 2022 attack on Ukraine left the world deeply shocked, for those living in Donbas and Crimea, the harsh reality of war has been ongoing since 2014, and has led to one of Europe's most devastating modern day conflicts since the Second World War. 

Find out more about the Ukraine war and how the conflict is being fought in our video series below.

Ukraine war video series

Image of Russian President Vladimir Putin overlaid over a second image showing a map of Ukraine
© Kremlin.ru under Creative Commons 4.0

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. Since the initial attack, pain, destruction and bloodshed has been caused, with hundreds of thousands killed and millions more displaced from their homes. But it wasn’t supposed to be like this.

According to research by the think tank RUSI, when Vladimir Putin began his invasion, he expected to take control of Ukraine within 10 days. 

The latest YouTube video in our Ukraine series asks what went wrong? Why did Putin's plan fail? And how close did he come to succeeding?

Find out in: Russian invasion of Ukraine: How Putin lost in 10 days.

More Ukraine videos

Ukrainian map positioned next to Russian Army vehicle for teaser on: Why was Crimea taken so easily?
© Ilya Varlamov

Why was Crimea taken so easily? Nine years in Ukraine

The war in Ukraine began nine years before Russia's full scale invasion in 2022. In late February 2014, armed soldiers in uniforms without insignia began to occupy Crimea. So what led to the annexation of Crimea in 2014? And why does the Crimean Peninsula continue to be a crucial sticking point in negotiations in 2023? 

A Ukrainian solider firing an NLAW from the hatch of an armoured vehicle.
© Military Television of Ukraine licensed under Creative Commons 4.0.
Contemporary conflict

Why have Ukrainian ATGMs destroyed so many Russian tanks?

Anti-Tank Guided Missiles or ATGMs have become a defining symbol of the Ukrainian fight against Russian invasion. They have destroyed countless armoured vehicles and provided endless material for viral social media clips. But why have ATGMs been so effective in the war so far, and could that be about the change?

Russian aircraft
© Russian Defence Ministry Press Service
Contemporary conflict

What happened to the air war in Ukraine?

In this video, we look at how Ukraine's air defences have created a denial of air space, and the history of surface to air missile systems, which has led to a lot of the SAMS being used in the war in Ukraine dating back to the Soviet era.

A BMP-1 imposed onto a map of Ukraine coloured with the yellow and blue of the Ukrainian flag.
© IWM
Contemporary conflict

Why is this museum piece still being used in Ukraine?

The BMP-1 is a Soviet infantry fighting vehicle from the 1960s. Ours was captured during Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and has been on display at IWM Duxford for over 30 years. Yet vehicles just like it are still being used by both sides in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War, with heavy losses. So why are museum pieces being fielded in a 21st century war?

Russian tank superimposed onto a map of Ukraine.
© Ukrainian Military TV under Creative Commons 4.0
Contemporary conflict

Why have Russian tanks struggled in Ukraine?

Russian tanks have taken heavy losses in Ukraine. Countless images of decapitated turrets and burnt-out wrecks have made headlines around the world with some proclaiming the death of the tank altogether. But is that really true?

A Ukrainian artillery gun firing.
© Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, CC BY-SA 2.0
Contemporary conflict

Why is the war in Ukraine so deadly?

The scale of the war in Ukraine is staggering and has shocked the world. Russia's invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 marked a significant escalation point in the Russo-Ukrainian War, which first began in 2014. Brandon Mitchell and Iryna Knyzhnyk are volunteer medics from the Ukrainian Hospitallers Medical Battalion, which provide life-saving medical assistance and evacuation on the front lines of Ukraine. They are developing strategies to adapt and tackle the issues they face. 

Latest from IWM's new YouTube channel

Our latest Ukraine videos have been produced on IWM's new YouTube channel, IWM: Conflict Explained

This channel explores the causes, course and consequences of war, examining the history behind some of the most complex issues of our time. 

Subscribe today to gain access to more videos like this. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin superimposed into the dock at the Nuremberg Trials.
© Kremlin.ru, CC BY SA 4.0 /public domain
Contemporary conflict

Will Putin face justice for his alleged war crimes in Ukraine?

Ukraine is a nation that understands the suffering of war. In 2023, Vladimir Putin was indicted by the international criminal court for war crimes. But he is unlikely to face a Nuremberg of his own. To understand why we need to take a look at the history of international justice and the uncertain future it faces.

President Zelenskyy over an aerial shot of destruction in Mariupol, with construction cranes.
© Mariupol, Ukraine Military TV, President Zelenskyy, public domain, crane by Artem Labunsky/ Unsplash
Contemporary conflict

Rebuilding Ukraine: The largest construction site in history?

Russia’s war on Ukraine continues to exact a horrifying price. The World Bank has estimated that the first year of destruction could cost as much as $411 billion to rectify. Some believe the price tag could rise to as much as $1 trillion. What are the steps to rebuilding the country, how much will it cost and who is going to pay for it?

From the IWM Institute

  • Ukraine flag
    © IWM

    Ukraine: Echoes from History

    Watch a recording of the live talk, which took place on Tuesday 24th May 2022 at IWM London.

    Historian Serhii Plokhy explores the history behind Russia's war in Ukraine with International Editor of Channel 4 News, Lindsey Hilsum.

  • Orange Revolution - Ukraine

    Ukraine, with Sophie Duker

    What is the history behind the events that have unfolded since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022? Join comedian Sophie Duker as she finds out more from experts on the issues in IWM’s podcast, Conflict of Interest. 

  • Image for Ukraine: A Modern War, an event in partnership with Sky News

    Ukraine: A Modern War

    Sky News correspondents joined the IWM Institute on Tuesday 1 November 2022, to ask what lessons had been learned from the war to date and to discuss the past, present and future of Ukraine in an event broadcast live from IWM London.

More from IWM

Lt General Omar Bradley, Commander in Chief, 1st US Army; Admiral Sir Bertram H Ramsay, Allied Naval Commander in Chief, Expeditionary Force; Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur W Tedder, Deputy Supreme Commander, Expeditionary Force; General Dwight D Eisenhower, Supreme Commander, Expeditionary Force; General Sir Bernard Montgomery, Commander in Chief 21st Army Group; Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Allied Air Commander, Expeditionary Force; and Lt General Walter Bedell-Smith.
© IWM (TR 1541)

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Three Auxiliary Territorial Service plotters at a plotting table, Headquarters of 428 Battery, Coast Defence Artillery
© IWM TR 572

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