When Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine a year ago, he expected to quickly capture Kyiv in a knockout blow against his eastern European neighbor.
But right from the start, things went sideways for Russia due to early blunders and a stiff Ukrainian resistance that shocked both Moscow and the Western leaders whose intelligence agencies predicted Kyiv would fall in a matter of days.
Still, Russia saw some early gains, but its forces have been losing ground for months. A new Russian offensive is underway, but so far, little has come of it as Ukraine continues to hold the line.
Over the past year, cities and towns have been flattened, and the death toll continues to rise. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been killed, and both militaries have suffered well over 100,000 casualties.
The war has spiraled into a grinding and bloody affair being played out in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. NATO is warning that the conflict has turned into a race for logistics as Russia throws poorly trained soldiers at the front lines to increase offensive pressure with limited success and Ukraine hopes it can regain momentum once it has an influx of heavy and advanced Western-made weaponry.
Here are some of the significant battles and major moments that have shaped the past year of brutal war in Ukraine and brought it to where it is today.