Feb. 24 marked one year since Russian President Vladimir Putin sent around 200,000 soldiers into Ukraine, hoping to quickly overthrow the government and take control of Kyiv. However, his plan failed, resulting in several setbacks, BBC News reported.

Despite this, Putin still views the invasion as a "special military operation" rather than an actual war. His stated objective was to "demilitarise and denazify" Ukraine and not occupy it by force, according to BBC. However, the conflict has caused significant damage, displacing millions of people from their homes, and bombing civilians across Ukraine.

"One year ago today, Russian dictator Putin launched a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine," Sen. Dick Durbin said. "To his surprise, the Ukrainian people fought back and the transatlantic alliance joined them. We will continue to support Ukraine in its relentless pursuit of freedom."

After unsuccessful attempts and retreating from Kyiv and Chernihiv, Putin's campaign goals for the invasion became the liberation of Donbas, which pertains to the Luhansk and Donetsk regions in eastern Ukraine. Despite this, Russia's efforts to achieve this goal have not been successful, as they were forced into additional retreats from Kharkiv in the northeast and Kherson in the south, according to BBC. Thus, the battle for Donbas continues.

The West has ignored Russia's warnings against arming Ukraine in favor of promises of support for Ukraine for as long as necessary and the unbreakable unity of NATO, with the U.S. having sent the most military aid to Ukraine so far. In fact, the U.S.'s advanced HIMARS missiles have helped shift the direction of the war, according to BBC. Several Western leaders, including President Joe Biden, have made the journey to Kyiv to show support.

According to Ukraine, for there to be peace and an end to the war, Russian troops must withdraw beyond Ukraine's internationally recognized borders. This stance is supported by two UN resolutions passed shortly after the invasion and hours before the war's first anniversary, according to BBC. Currently, there is little hope for a ceasefire or peace talks.