Fact check: Who's started the war in Ukraine?

1. Summary of the results

The evidence conclusively shows that Russia initiated the war in Ukraine through a full-scale military invasion on February 24, 2022 ^{[1] [1]}. The invasion began with approximately 190,000 Russian troops surrounding Ukraine's borders, and was announced by Vladimir Putin as a "special military operation" ^[1]. Multiple sources confirm that Ukraine was at peace the night before the invasion ^{[1] [2]}.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The conflict has deeper historical roots and complexities that extend beyond the 2022 invasion:

• The tensions began escalating in 2014 with Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea ^[3]
• The conflict involves complex geopolitical factors including:
• Post-Cold War dynamics
• Western vs Russian influences
• Questions of Ukrainian national identity
• Geo-economic considerations ^[4]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

Several false narratives have been promoted regarding the war's origins:

• Putin's claim of protecting people from "genocide" has been definitively proven false ^[1]
• Russian officials' assertions about "systematic extermination" in Ukraine have no supporting evidence ^[3]
• Claims that Ukraine started the war have been rated as "Pants on Fire" (completely false) by fact-checkers ^[1]

Who benefits from alternative narratives:

• The Russian government benefits from promoting narratives about protecting people from alleged genocide or claiming defensive action
• Russian state media and aligned organizations benefit from portraying the conflict as Western-provoked rather than a Russian invasion
• Western defense contractors and military-industrial complexes benefit from portraying Russia as an aggressive actor requiring military response

The complexity of historical tensions ^[4] should not obscure the clear evidence that Russia initiated the actual war through military invasion ^{[2] [3]}.