The Ukraine-Russia crisis explained: a complete visual guide

Vladimir Putin has said Russia will recognise the territorial claims of its two proxy states in east Ukraine, and has ordered his forces into Russian-controlled territory, in a sharp escalation of already high tensions.

The move follows days of warnings by the US and others of the possibility of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine.

On 22 February a Reuters witness saw columns of military vehicles including tanks and APCs on the outskirts of Donetsk, the capital of one of the territories claimed by Russia:

Over the past few months Russia has forward-deployed hundreds of tanks, self-propelled artillery and even short-range ballistic missiles from as far away as Siberia to within striking range of Ukraine.

The second half of February was long seen as the most likely period for a potential offensive. Russian soldiers have stayed on in Belarus beyond the end of planned military exercises, and the Winter Olympics, hosted by ally China, have concluded.

Many of the heavy weapons stationed near Ukraine arrived as far back as spring 2021.

Over the new year Russia also began to move tanks, artillery, air-defence systems and fighter jets to Belarus for joint exercises in February. That deployment has since grown.