No. Russia launched the full-scale invasion.

Russia has cited NATO expansion, the protection of Russian speakers and the claim of 'denazification' as reasons for the invasion. These are Russia's justifications. They are not evidence that Ukraine attacked first, and the UN General Assembly and most governments rejected them. Ukraine did not invade Russia before February 2022. Fighting in the Donbas from 2014 began after Russia annexed Crimea and backed separatist forces there. Ukraine's later cross-border actions, such as the 2024 Kursk incursion, were responses to Russia's invasion. The question of who started the war is a matter of fact, and the factual record is clear.

• Russia annexed Crimea in March 2014 after sending troops without insignia into the peninsula.
• Russian-backed forces began fighting in eastern Ukraine (Donbas) in 2014.
• Russia launched a full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022 from Russian territory, Belarus and occupied Crimea.
• The UN General Assembly voted 141 to 5 on 2 March 2022 to demand Russia withdraw its forces.
• The International Court of Justice ordered Russia in March 2022 to suspend military operations, though the case is about genocide claims.

The broader war began in 2014, not just in 2022. Ukraine’s fighting against Russian-backed forces within Ukrainian territory does not establish that Ukraine started a war against Russia; the documented sequence shows Russian occupation and intervention followed by a Russian full-scale invasion. Political disputes about the conflict’s background do not reverse that sequence. ([hudoc.echr.coe.int](https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=002-14493&utm_source=openai))

• Russia occupied and annexed Crimea, part of Ukraine, in 2014. ([ukraine.un.org](https://ukraine.un.org/en/261842-russian-federation%E2%80%99s-decade-long-occupation-crimea-marked-widespread-violations?utm_source=openai))
• The European Court of Human Rights found that Russia exercised effective control over Crimea from February 27, 2014. ([hudoc.echr.coe.int](https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/?i=002-14347&utm_source=openai))
• The same court found that Russia controlled separatist-held areas of eastern Ukraine from May 11, 2014, through its military presence and decisive support. ([hudoc.echr.coe.int](https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/tur?i=002-13989&utm_source=openai))
• Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. ([echr.coe.int](https://www.echr.coe.int/w/grand-chamber-judgment-in-an-inter-state-case-1?utm_source=openai))
• On March 2, 2022, the UN General Assembly condemned Russia’s aggression by 141 votes to 5, with 35 abstentions. ([unric.org](https://unric.org/en/the-un-and-the-war-in-Ukraine-key-information/?utm_source=openai))

1. hudoc.echr.coe.int
2. hudoc.echr.coe.int
3. hudoc.echr.coe.int
4. estatements.un.org
5. echr.coe.int
6. echr.coe.int
7. press.un.org
8. hudoc.echr.coe.int

International law, official records, and international monitoring bodies document that Russia initiated the armed hostilities against Ukraine. The conflict began in 2014 when Russian forces entered and annexed Crimea and intervened in eastern Ukraine. In February 2022, Russia dramatically escalated the conflict by launching a full-scale military invasion. While Russian officials cited political grievances such as NATO expansion and claimed to be defending Russian speakers, Ukraine never launched military action against Russia, making Russia the sole initiator of the war.

• In February and March 2014, Russian troops occupied and illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.
• Russia provided military personnel, weapons, and funding to instigate armed separatist conflict in Ukraine's Donbas region in 2014.
• On February 24, 2022, Russia launched an unprovoked full-scale invasion across Ukraine's internationally recognized borders.
• The United Nations General Assembly repeatedly condemned Russia's aggression and demanded the complete withdrawal of Russian forces.
• Ukraine did not mount military attacks or violate Russian sovereign territory before these Russian incursions.

The factual record is one-sided: Russian troops crossed into Ukrainian territory, Russian leadership publicly announced and justified the operation, and the UN General Assembly, the ICJ and the ICC all treated Russia as the aggressor. Ukraine's 2014 change of government and its NATO aspirations are cited by Russia as grievances, but grievances do not equate to starting a war; no serious body of evidence indicates Ukraine launched the invasion.

• On 24 February 2022, Russian forces invaded Ukraine from multiple directions on orders from President Vladimir Putin, who announced a 'special military operation'.
• The conflict began in 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea after a disputed referendum and Russian-backed armed groups seized territory in the Donbas.
• The UN General Assembly voted 141-5 on 2 March 2022 to demand Russia immediately withdraw its forces from Ukraine.
• On 16 March 2022 the International Court of Justice ordered Russia to suspend military operations, finding Ukraine's claim that Russia falsely alleged genocide plausible enough to proceed.
• The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin in March 2023 over the deportation of Ukrainian children.

The question refers to the broader conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which escalated into a full-scale war in 2022. While low-intensity conflict had been ongoing in eastern Ukraine since 2014, Russia's actions—including the annexation of Crimea and direct military intervention—preceded Ukraine's defensive responses. The 2022 invasion was a clear escalation initiated by Russia, as widely documented by international observers, governments, and independent media. Ukraine's actions have been in response to Russian aggression, aimed at defending its territory and sovereignty.

• Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, violating international law.
• Russia supported separatist forces in eastern Ukraine from 2014 onward, leading to ongoing conflict.
• On February 24, 2022, Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, escalating the war.
• The UN General Assembly condemned Russia’s invasion in a resolution supported by 141 countries.
• Ukraine has been defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity since the invasion.