2022 – Russia launches a full‑scale invasion of Ukraine, triggering nationwide mobilization, a shifting front line and a protracted war that reshapes civilian life and military strategy across the country [1].

2023 – Vitaly, a ceramics artist who volunteers for Ukraine’s 2022 defence, is killed in combat in the Donbas; his body is first interred in Slovyansk while his pregnant wife Natalia freezes his sperm for a future child [1].

Dec 2, 2025 – Moscow announces it has captured the strategic eastern city of Pokrovsk, releasing a video of Russian troops raising a flag, while Kyiv insists fighting continues inside the city [7][6].

Dec 2, 2025 – U.S. and Ukrainian officials hold high‑level talks in Florida on ending the war, and a meeting between U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and President Putin in Moscow is scheduled for the following day [7].

Dec 3, 2025 – President Vladimir Putin publicly declares Pokrovsk “liberated,” praising Russian generals and warning Kyiv to cede territory or face force, a narrative aimed at Western audiences [6].

Dec 9, 2025 – Former President Donald Trump claims “Ukraine is losing” the war, a statement contradicted by officials who say the battlefield shows only incremental Russian gains and high casualties [5].

Dec 9, 2025 – Ukrainian soldiers in Pokrovsk continue to resist, raising flags and monitoring live drone feeds to prove control despite Russian propaganda [3].

Dec 17, 2025 – President Putin tells senior officers that if peace talks stall, Russia will “liberate its historical lands by military means” and expand a buffer zone, while unveiling the new nuclear‑capable Oreshnik missile entering service this month [11].

Dec 23, 2025 – Ukraine withdraws from the embattled town of Siversk to preserve combat capability, allowing Russian forces to move closer to the fortress‑belt cities of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk [2].

Dec 23, 2025 – Newsweek’s 2025 front‑line map shows little movement, labeling the year a stalemate with only modest Russian advances and highlighting Pokrovsk’s capture as a major Ukrainian loss [9].

Jan 1, 2026 – Russian brigades intensify pressure in Zaporizhzhia, seizing parts of Huliaipole; Ukrainian General Oleksandr Syrskyi admits weak defences led to the loss of a command post, while analysts warn the 1,000‑km southern front is overstretched [4].

Feb 4, 2026 – Natalia exhumes Vitaly’s remains from Slovyansk and reburies them with a Ukrainian flag and military honours in Kyiv, citing fears of Russian occupation of the original grave site [1].

Feb 5, 2026 – Senior officials from the United States, Russia and Ukraine meet in Abu Dhabi and agree to reactivate a high‑level military hotline after a four‑year hiatus, signalling a diplomatic thaw amid ongoing fighting [10].

Feb 6, 2026 – The Abu Dhabi meeting produces a prisoner swap returning 157 Russian soldiers and 150 Ukrainian servicemen; President Zelenskyy reports 55,000 Ukrainian military deaths and a 31 % rise in civilian casualties in 2025 [10].

Feb 2026 (early) – SpaceX’s Elon Musk restricts “unauthorized use” of Starlink by Russian forces, a move Ukrainian officials credit with delivering “real results” on the battlefield [8].

Feb 11‑15, 2026 – Ukraine’s counteroffensive recaptures 201 sq km—the fastest advance since mid‑2023—while Russia launches a massive drone‑missile barrage of ~400 drones and 29 missiles ahead of upcoming peace talks [8].

Feb 20‑21, 2026 – U.S.‑brokered Geneva talks convene, with Russia demanding retention of large parts of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv insisting any concession would be illegal and unpopular; the talks occur as Russian attacks on energy infrastructure intensify [8].

2026 – The New START nuclear arms‑control treaty expires, removing limits on U.S. and Russian warheads for the first time since 1991 and adding a strategic risk layer to the ongoing conflict [1].