“This page features Commons Library publications relevant to the current crisis in Ukraine. On 24 February 2022 Russia launched military action in Ukraine, with forces crossing into the country from Belarus in the north, Russia in the east and Crimea in the south. President Putin has said Russia, acting in self defence, was launching a special military operation in the Donbas and called on Ukrainian forces to lay down their weapons. However, a full-scale assault on the country is currently underway.  Russia’s actions came days after President Putin officially recognised the self-declared independence of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR), the regions of eastern Ukraine that are under the control of Russian-backed separatist forces, and deployed forces to the region, under the guise of peacekeeping operations. Russia had previously denied that it was planning to invade Ukraine and said its build up of forces was in response to provocative actions by NATO.  Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been met with international condemnation. An “unprecedented” package of sanctions has been imposed on Russia by the US, EU, UK and other allies and partners around the world.  NATO has moved to shore up the defence of eastern Europe with the deployment of additional ships, fighter aircraft and troops to the region. Military assistance is also being provided to Ukraine, although NATO troops will not be deployed on the ground as Ukraine is a partner country of the Alliance and not party to NATO’s Article V mutual defence clause. NATO allies have also ruled out imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine.   Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine have, so far, not made any progress. Amidst a deteriorating humanitarian situation, both sides had agreed to establish humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to escape the fighting in Mariupol and Kharkiv, among others. However, those corridors have had limited success due to continued Russian shelling.  Since 24 February 2022, the UN Refugee Agency estimates nearly 2.5 million refugees have fled Ukraine, with 1.5 million now in neighbouring Poland…”