A Ukrainian soldier walks near a school building destroyed by shelling in Zhytomyr. Photo: Reuters

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Ukraine war: Infographici

Russian forces invaded Ukraine in late February 2022, turning Moscow into a global pariah in the worlds of finance, diplomacy, sports and culture, as the West punished it with sanctions. President Vladimir Putin called Russia’s actions - which have triggered the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II - a “special military operation”. Nuclear-armed Russia has warned of consequences if Nato interferes in Ukraine, while strategic ally China urges a peaceful, diplomatic solution.

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Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that ‘the world is sick and quite probably is on the verge of a new world war’, but a war is not inevitable, and the risks of a nuclear confrontation were growing.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin defied the West and launched an all-out air and ground assault on Ukraine