BACKGROUND GUIDE UNSC

LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE BOARD:

Warm welcome delegates. We the executive board of UNSC would like to have a very
good session for this year’s GTAMUN and hope the delegates will come up with new,
creative and out of the ordinary thinking. This background guide should put you on the
right path for researching for this MUN and give you a general idea about this
committee.

We expect the delegates to come prepared to face anything in the committee and
welcome all ideas. We will not tolerate any delegates who do not wish to cooperate
with the EB’s decisions. We expect the delegates to maintain decorum in the
committee and perform their bests. May the best delegate win.

Delegates we would like provide you with a short brief of what we will be discussing
in our committee and the events that led up to it. The objective of this background
guide is to provide you with a ‘background’ of the issue at hand.

The Executive Board

Here is a timeline of their relations in the 20th century: 

1918-1922: Ukraine declares independence in 1918 during a conflict fought by multiple countries
and armies over several years. Its independence and sovereignty received international recognition
that year at the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. Soviet forces work to overthrow independent Ukraine. The
Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic is founded in 1921 and Ukraine is subsumed into the Soviet
Union the following year. 

1932 and 1933: A famine caused by Stalin’s policy of collectivization kills millions of people,
ethnic Ukrainians in a country that is known as the breadbasket of the Soviet Union. The disaster is
known as the Holodomor. 

1939-1944: The Soviet Union annexes Western Ukraine. Later, Nazi Germany and the Axis powers
occupy the country during World War II. Throughout the period Ukraine suffers devastation. 

1991: The Soviet Union is terminated via a treaty. Ukraine becomes independent and begins a
transition to a market economy. It also comes into possession of a significant stockpile of nuclear
weapons that belonged to the Soviet Union. 
1994 — Under the Budapest Memorandum, Ukraine gives up its nuclear arsenal in exchange for a
commitment from Moscow “to respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of
Ukraine.” 

Timeline after historic disputes, leading to current war: 

  
2014: The first eight years of the conflict included the Russian annexation of Crimea and the war in
Donbas between Ukraine and Russian-backed separatists, naval incidents, cyber warfare, and
political tensions. 

Feb 24: Moscow’s decision to invade the country.

Protesters in Ukraine overthrow President Viktor Yanukovych. He had been friendly to Russia’s
interests. During the revolution, more than 100 people are killed in protests that centred on the main
square in the capital Kyiv. The interim government that followed this pro-Western revolution
eventually signed a trade agreement with the European Union that is seen as the first step toward
membership of the bloc. 
  
Russia annexes the Crimean Peninsula. Two secessionist regions, the Donetsk People’s Republic,
and the neighbouring Luhansk People’s Republic, later break off from Ukraine. The war continues
in the eastern Ukrainian region known as Donbas. It then spreads west. 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers
and civilians eventually die in the conflict. The front lines have barely shifted for years. 

2014 - 2015: Russia, Ukraine, France, and Germany sign a series of cease-fire agreements known as
the Minsk Accords. Many views these accords as ambiguous. 

August 2016: Ukraine reported that Russia had increased its military presence along the Crimea
demarcation line. Border crossings were closed. 
2018 — Kerch Strait incident 
  
April 2019: Volodymyr Zelensky is elected by a large majority as president of Ukraine on a promise
to restore Donbas to the country. 
2020: Russian troops entered Ukraine from the north in Belarus (towards Kyiv); from the north-east
in Russia (towards Kharkiv); from the east in the DPR and the Luhansk People's Republic; and from
the south in Crimea.
March - April 2021: Rise in tensions. Russia commenced a major military build-up near the border,
 
2021-2022: President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia seeks to prevent Ukraine’s drift toward the
United States and its allies. Mr. Putin demands “security guarantees,” including an assurance by
NATO that Ukraine will never join the group and that the alliance pulls back troops stationed in
countries that joined after 1997. 
Many Russians view the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, as the birthplace of their nation and cite the
numerous cultural ties between the two countries. 

Jan 10: The SBU announced that it had arrested a Russian military intelligence agent who was
attempting to recruit operatives to conduct attacks at Odessa. Three days later, Ukraine was struck
by a cyberattack that affected the official websites of several Ukrainian government ministries. It
was later suspected that Russian hackers might be responsible for the incident.

Nov 2021 – 20 Feb 2022: Despite the Russian military build-ups, Russian officials repeatedly
denied that Russia had plans to invade Ukraine.

Timeline of events taken place in 2022: 

Feb 20: Start of War.

Feb 21: Russian President Vladimir Putin orders troops into the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk,
and recognises them as independent states.

Feb 22: The Russian parliament authorises Putin to use military force. The United States places full
blocking sanctions on the Kremlin-controlled VEB bank and PSB bank. Germany immediately halts
the process of certifying the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

Feb 23: The European Union freezes the assets of 351 Duma members.

Feb 24: Russia launches a full-scale assault on Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr

Zelenskyy orders a general mobilisation. The US bars five more Russian banks from the US
financial system, and freezes four of the banks’ US-held assets.

Feb 25: Russia vetoes a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding that it
unconditionally pull its troops out of Ukraine.

Feb 26: The EU says it will bar selected Russian banks from the Society for Worldwide Interbank
Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) system, essentially cutting them off from the global
financial system.

Feb 27: Russian troops press towards three cities, Kyiv, Kharkiv and Kherson. European
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says Russian civilian aircraft are banned from EU
airspace, and Russian state-owned media Russia Today, Sputnik and their subsidiaries are banned
from EU airwaves and the internet.
Feb 28: The EU approves a 500 million euros ($537m) support package for the Ukrainian military.
“This is the first time in history that the EU will be providing lethal equipment to a third country,”
the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell says. Total EU aid has since risen to 4.5bn euros
($4.8bn). Ukraine applies to join the EU, which bans transactions with Russia’s central bank. The
Russian rouble tumbles 30 percent.

March 1: In a new offensive, a Russian convoy 65km long heads for Kyiv.

March 2: Russian tanks enter Kherson, making the southern Ukrainian town the first major
population centre (250,000 people) to fall. Russian forces surround Mariupol.

March 8: The European Commission unveils RE EU, a plan to reduce dependence on Russian

natural gas by two-thirds by the end of the year, surpassing in ambition the plan unveiled on March
3 by the International Energy Agency (IEA). The US imposes a ban on Russian crude oil imports.

March 9: Russian air strikes target a maternity hospital in the besieged city of Mariupol.

March 10: The US Congress approves $13.6bn in spending for Ukraine.

March 11: The EU issues the Versailles Declaration, calling on member states to strengthen defence
spending, investment, research and co-ordination. The US leads a new round of sanctions against
Russia backed by the Group of Seven (G7) bloc of nations.

March 16: Hundreds die when Russian troops bomb the Mariupol theatre, as civilians shelter inside.
Fighting reaches the city centre.

March 23: NATO estimates that Russia has lost 7,000-15,000 soldiers. The administration of US
President Joe Biden formally determines that Russia has committed war crimes in
Ukraine. Putin says future gas sales to “unfriendly” countries – corresponding to the US, European
Union members, the United Kingdom and Japan – will be denominated in roubles rather than US
dollars.

March 24: On a trip to Europe, Biden pledges to provide Europe with 15 billion cubic metres (bcm)
more natural gas than last year, bringing shipments to Europe to 37bcm this year. It pledges an
additional 50bcm by 2030.

March 25: Russia says it will focus on consolidating its control over the eastern Ukrainian provinces
of Luhansk and Donetsk, and starts to withdraw troops from Kyiv.

March 26: During a visit to US troops in Poland, Biden appears to suggest regime change in

Moscow. “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power,” Biden says of Putin. Biden
backpedals on the remark the following day.

March 29: Russian and Ukrainian negotiators meet in Istanbul. Ukraine puts forward a detailed
proposal of neutrality.
April 1: An Al Jazeera report reveals that Russia is using proxy groups in Syria to recruit fighters
for Ukraine.

April 2: As Russian troops withdraw from Bucha, a town northwest of Kyiv, dozens of corpses in
civilian clothes are found on the streets.

April 7: Ukrainian authorities say Russia fired a cluster munition into a railway station packed with
thousands of evacuees, killing at least 52. The attack takes place in the city of Kramatorsk in the
eastern Donetsk region.

April 8: The EU bans imports of Russian coal, lumber, cement, seafood and fertilisers.

April 10: Russian forces bisect Mariupol.

April 14: Ukraine says it has sunk the Russian Black Sea Fleet flagship Moskva with two Neptune
missiles.

April 18: Russian forces launch a new, large-scale offensive in east Ukraine to take full control of
the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts.

April 20: The International Monetary Fund forecasts global growth of 3.6 percent this year and next,
a downward revision of 0.8 percent for this year and 0.2 percent for next year compared to January
forecasts, owing to the war in Ukraine.

April 21: Putin declares victory in Mariupol, though 2,500 Ukrainian defenders in the Azovstal
steelworks have not surrendered.

April 26: Austin presses delegates from 40 nations to contribute more weapons as soon as possible
to Ukraine’s war effort at a military donors’ conference at Ramstein air base in Germany.

April 27: Russia cuts off gas flows to Bulgaria and Poland, allegedly for refusing to pay for gas in
roubles.

April 28: The US Congress revives World War II-era “lend-lease” facilities to speed up weapons
shipments to Ukraine. Biden asks Congress to approve a $33bn spending package for Ukraine.

May 2: Germany says it is willing to ban Russian oil immediately, in a change of position.

May 3: In a speech to the European Parliament, Italian prime minister Mario Draghi calls for a
“pragmatic federalism” in which majorities of member states can override vetoes to collective
action – a clear hint towards Hungary and Slovakia, which are blocking an EU ban of Russian oil
and gas.

May 4: A Ukrainian counteroffensive north and east of Kharkiv has pushed Russian troops 40km
back from the city, in the first major Ukrainian success since winning the battle for Kyiv.

May 9: French President Emmanuel Macron supports creating a strengthened form of association

with the EU that would enable Ukraine and other EU hopefuls such as Moldova and Georgia to
enjoy many aspects of membership quickly.
May 11: Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk says Russia has deported some
460,000 Ukrainians to 6,500 camps across Russia. Ukraine for the first-time limits Russian gas
transiting its territory to Europe, cutting by one-quarter the flow of gas through one of two major
pipelines.

May 12: Finland announces it will seek NATO membership.

May 15: Sweden announces it will apply for NATO membership, ending two centuries of neutrality.

May 17: Ukraine’s military declares an end to the Azovstal operation in Mariupol. Russia’s defence

ministry confirms that 265 Ukrainians have surrendered.

May 18: The European Commission announces a 220 billion euros ($236bn) plan to ditch Russian
fossil fuels over five years.

May 19: The US approves $40bn in new spending for Ukraine, half of its military investment.

May 20: Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder bows to pressure to resign his seat on the
board of Russian oil giant Rosneft.

May 21: Russia says it has full control of Mariupol, after almost 2,500 Ukrainian troops surrender.

May 23: Ukraine sentences the first Russian soldier convicted of war crimes to life in prison.

May 25: Eduard Basurin, deputy head of the militia of the Russia-backed Donetsk People’s
Republic, says Russia is for now abandoning the larger strategy of surrounding all of Ukraine’s
forces in the east with a grand pincer movement, instead focusing on piecemeal isolations.

Zelenskyy blasts former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger for suggesting that Ukraine

surrender land to Russia. He likens it to the policy of appeasement in the 1930s.

May 26: Russian forces continue a slow encirclement of Severdonetsk, and are reportedly in
possession of the northeastern portion of the city. Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Anna
Malyar says “fighting has reached its maximum intensity. The enemy is storming the positions of
our troops in several directions simultaneously”.

May 27: Russian forces advance on Severdonetsk from three different directions, and begin direct
assaults on built-up areas of the city in the north, taking control of the Mir hotel.

May 28: Ukraine launches a counteroffensive in Kherson, reportedly bringing Russian forces to a
“disadvantageous” defensive position and inflicting heavy losses.

In telephone calls with the leaders of France and Germany, Putin offers to facilitate Ukrainian
grain exports in return for an easing of sanctions against Russia.

May 30: After some hesitation, Biden decides to send “more advanced rocket systems” to Ukraine
to enable greater precision artillery strikes. The US will send guided multiple launch rocket
systems (GMLRS) and high mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS) to add firepower to
Ukraine’s defences.
May 31: Russian forces occupy the centre of Severdonetsk as Ukrainian troops make a
tactical retreat. Fighting rages in the town of Toshkivka, south of Severdonetsk, as Russian forces
attempt to complete an encirclement of Severdonetsk from the south.

In the south, Ukrainian forces press a counteroffensive towards Kherson, pushing Russian forces
east of the Inhulets River.

The EU bans Russian oil and petroleum products, following a decision on a sixth package of
sanctions against Russia. A temporary exception is made for pipeline oil, after the objections of
landlocked countries that they could not easily supply themselves by sea.

June 1: Russian troops hold the city centre of Severdonetsk and, according to estimates, up to 70
percent of the city.

Germany says it will send Ukraine the IRIS-T, the most modern artillery and targeting system it
possesses. The system will come with radar that helps target enemy artillery

June 2: The United States Cyber Command confirmed that it was conducting cyber operations on
behalf of Ukraine. General Paul Nakasone, the commander of USCYBERCOM, said, "We've
conducted a series of operations across the full spectrum: offensive, defensive, [and] information
operations."
President Zelenskyy said that as of 2 June, Russia controlled 20% of Ukrainian territory, which is
equivalent to almost 125,000 square kilometres.
June 3: Serhiy Haidai stated that Ukrainian troops engaged in a block-by-block fight for the city of
Sievierodonetsk and managed to push back Russian forces by 20%.
June 4: Alexander Bogomaz, the Governor of Russia's Bryansk region, said that Ukrainian forces
carried out strikes on a village in the region.
Russia stated that it shot down a Ukrainian military transport plane carrying weapons and munitions
near Odessa.
Zelenskyy said that Russian artillery hit Sviatohirsk Lavra, an early 17th-century Ukrainian
Orthodox monastery in eastern Ukraine, engulfing its main church in flames. Russia denied
involvement and accused Ukrainian troops of setting fire to the monastery before pulling back.
It was reported that a private airfield in Ukraine's Kharkiv region was hit by a missile strike,
damaging planes and destroying several hangars. Ukraine stated that a Russian missile flew
"critically low" over a large nuclear power plant.
June 5: Ukraine said that it had killed the commander of the 29th Combined Arms Army, Lieutenant
General Roman Berdnikov. Additionally, the death of Major General Roman Kutuzov was
confirmed by Russian state television.
June 6: The Ukrainian Army stated that it had pushed back Russia's Black Sea Fleet to a distance of
more than 100 kilometres from Ukraine's Black Sea Coast.
June 7: The website of the Russian Ministry of Construction, Housing and Utilities was hacked.
Attempts to open the website through an internet search led to a "Glory to Ukraine" sign in
Ukrainian.
June 8: Up to 100 bodies found in the ruins of high-rise buildings in Mariupol were transported to
morgues and landfills, a mayoral aide said Wednesday, according to The Associated Press. Petro
Andryushchenko described the removal of the bodies as an "endless caravan of death" in a post
on Telegram.
The Chief Rabbi of Moscow, Pinchas Goldschmidt, fled Russia after declining to publicly support
the war in Ukraine.
June 9: Serhiy Haidai said that Russian forces controlled most of the city of Sievierodonetsk, with
Ukrainians holding ground in its industrial zone.
June 10: Ukraine stated that it had nearly exhausted its supplies of artillery ammunition, using
5,000-6,000 rounds daily, and was now reliant on the West to resupply them. Ukraine stated that it
is losing 100-200 soldiers per day. Ukraine also said that Russia fires 60,000 rounds and rockets
daily. Ukrainian Intelligence stated that Russia had pulled out of storage T-62 tanks, 152 mm
artillery pieces, landmines from the 1950s and other "MLRS" systems.
President Putin, in St. Petersburg, gave a speech about Peter the Great, during which he said: "What
was he doing? Taking back and reinforcing. That's what he did. And it looks like it fell on us to take
back and reinforce as well."
Dmytro Zhyvytsky, the Governor of Sumy Oblast, said that Russian troops struck villages in the
region with kamikaze drones and a quadcopter. He stated that no one was injured and a house was
damaged.
According to a Russian news outlet, Ukrainian forces sank their own anti-submarine
corvette Vinnytsia.
June 11: President Zelenskyy said that Ukraine had launched airstrikes in the southern region of
Russian-occupied Kherson.
Ukraine also stated that a flamethrower was used by Russian forces in the village of Vrubivka.
The UK MoD stated that Russia is using anti-ship missiles, like the Kh-22, against ground targets. It
added that such missiles "are highly inaccurate and therefore can cause severe collateral damage and
casualties."
According to local officials, the first Russian passports were handed out to citizens in Kherson and
Zaporizhzhia Regions.
June 13: The Russian Defence Ministry stated that it used Kalibr cruise missiles to destroy a large
depot with Western weapons in Ukraine's Ternopil region. It also said that it shot down three
Ukrainian Su-25s near Donetsk and Kharkiv.
June 14: Five were killed and twenty-two were wounded as a result of the Ukrainian shelling
of Donetsk.
June 15: Head of Russia's National Defence Management Center, asked Ukrainian forces holed up
in the Azot chemical plant in Sievierodonetsk to lay down their arms at 8:00 am Moscow time
(0500 GMT) on 15 June. He added that civilians present in the plant would be let out through a
humanitarian corridor. They had destroyed an ammunition depot in the Donetsk region, and an air
control radar station in Lysychansk. Russia also said that it had killed 300 Ukrainian soldiers as a
result of fierce fighting.
June 16: Ukraine stated that it had sunk the Russian tug Spasatel Vasily Bekh with two Harpoon
missiles.
June 17: Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, Chief of the UK Defence Staff, said, "President Putin has used
about 25% of his army's power to gain a tiny amount of territory and 50,000 people either dead or
injured. Russia is failing."
President Putin spoke to investors at an economic forum in St. Petersburg about economic
sanctions, saying "the economic blitzkrieg against Russia had no chance of succeeding from the
very beginning".
Ukrainian Commander of the Land Forces Logistics Volodymyr Karpenko stated that the Ukrainian
Army had lost between 30 - 50% of their heavy equipment.
June 18: The US said that it was considering doubling the number of HIMARS systems being
supplied to Ukraine. Ukraine also requested long-range rockets that the HIMARS is capable of
launching.
June 19: Over 50 generals and officers of Ukrainian military were eliminated in the strike.
Russian officials complained about Lithuanian restrictions on transport of rail goods between Russia
and Kaliningrad. Konstantin Kosachev stated, "As an EU member state, Lithuania is violating a
whole series of legally binding international legal acts." This incipient blockade was affecting 40-
50% of all rail goods.
The New York Times examined Russian weapons used in Ukraine and said that more than 210 of
them were banned under various international treaties. It added that the majority of weapons used by
Russian forces were unguided.
June 20: Russian forces captured Metiolkine on Sievierodonetsk's eastern outskirts.
In an address to the African Union, president Zelenskyy said that Africa was "a hostage" due to the
blockage of grain.
June 21: Russia summoned the EU ambassador in Moscow over Lithuania's ban on some goods
going to Kaliningrad, from Russia, by rail. The Russian foreign ministry said,”Russia reserves the
right to take actions to protect its national interests”. The Lithuanian foreign minister defended by
saying, “It’s not Lithuania doing anything: it's European sanctions that started working from 17
June… It was done with consultation from the European Commission and under European
Commission guidelines."
Russia took control of Toshkivka. Twelve Panzerhaubitze 2000 were deployed to Ukraine, seven
from Germany and five from the Netherlands. The Donetsk People's Republic's militia had lost 55%
of its force during the fighting in the Donbas. The DPR ombudsman said that 2,128 fighters had
been killed, 8,897 wounded, and 654 civilians had been killed.
June 22: Two drones flying from the direction of Ukraine hit a major Russian oil refinery near the
border on Novoshakhtinsk. At an indefinite point in early summer, the Ukrainian army completely
used up the last of its older Soviet heavy artillery munitions, and the related guns fell silent for a few
days.
June 24: Ukrainian forces were ordered to withdraw from the city of Sievierodonetska.The head of
the Hirske Community Oleksiy Babchenko announced that the whole city is under Russian control.
The Russian Ministry of Defence said that they have encircled 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers in the
Zolote/Hirske cauldron.
June 25: Ukraine started deploying the HIMARS. Ukrainian military said that during this strike over
40 soldiers were killed including Colonel Andrei Vasilyev. The strike occurred on a Russian
military base near Izyum. Russia acknowledges the attack but says it hit a hospital and killed 2
civilians.
June 26: Russia fired 14 missiles on Kyiv, some of them being X101 missiles fired from Tu-
95 and Tu-160 bombers over the Caspian Sea, damaging residential buildings and a
kindergarten. The strikes were the first strikes on Kyiv in three weeks, and killed one person and
injured six others. The U.S. was going to announce a medium to long air defence system for
Ukraine, which the U.S. will purchase for Ukraine. The suggested system is NASAMS which will
require more training for Ukrainian users. The aid package will also include more Javelin missiles,
radars for counter-battery, air defence and artillery ammunition. No drones will be sent due to
concerns over their vulnerable nature and valuable technology.
June 27: Russia launched missiles at a shopping centre in Kremenchuk with more than 1,000 people
inside, killing at least 20 people. Russia reportedly denied hitting the shopping mall.
June 28: Ukrainian forces began withdrawing from Lysychansk, continuing a fighting retreat
towards strongholds in Siversk, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk.
Russian forces continued to shell Kharkiv city and settlements in its vicinity. Moreover, they
launched unsuccessful operations in northwest Kharkiv oblast, likely in order to prevent Ukrainian
forces from reaching the Russia-Ukraine border, and to defend its positions near Izyum.
June 30: The lower house of the State Duma passed new laws allowing the Russian prosecutor-
general to shut down foreign media from countries that have banned Russian media, due to bans on
Russian media over the war in Ukraine.

July 1: The Russian army fired three missiles on the Serhiivka settlement in Odessa Oblast of
Ukraine, destroying a residential building and a recreation centre. At least 21 people were killed.
The United States government announced the 14th aid package for Ukraine, worth $820 million
The Ukrainian army said in a statement: "Russian air force Su-30 planes twice conducted strikes with phosphorus bombs on
Zmiinyi [Snake] island."
July 2: Two Britons, Andrew Hill and Dylan Healy, were charged by the Donetsk People's Republic as being mercenaries,
the same charge that two other Britons, Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin, were convicted of in June and sentenced to death
for.
Russia claims to have destroyed five Ukrainian command posts in the Donbas and Mykolaiv regions.
Rob Lee, a defence blogger, tweeted a video of Chechen Rosgvardia soldiers outside the administration building in
Lysychansk. Furthermore, the Russian forces tweeted a video of a Soviet flag in the ruins of the same building. Ukraine
maintains that it is in control of the city. However, its forces "are enduring intense Russian shelling".
Ukrainian partisans reportedly derailed a Russian armored train carrying ammunition near Melitopol.
July 3: In Belgorod, Russia, three people were killed by Ukrainian shelling, according to the local governor Vyacheslav
Gladkov, who also stated that 11 apartment buildings and 39 private residences were destroyed. These claims could not be
independently verified.[629] One of the locals said: "The missile hit residential buildings about 20 metres from my house. All
the windows in our house were shattered; the doors came out of alignment."] The governor of the Kursk region wrote on
Telegram that their "air defenses shot down two Ukrainian Strizh drones". In Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, mainly
Kherson, there were three assassination attempts on pro-Russian officials over the last two weeks, thought to have been
carried out by loosely organized resistance fighters.[632]
In early July, UK and New Zealand soldiers were training Ukrainian soldiers to use the L118 howitzer and the M270
MLRS. The number of Ukrainian soldiers trained was listed as "hundreds", and occurred in Wiltshire, England.
President Zelenskyy acknowledged the loss of the Luhansk Oblast, saying: "If the commanders of our army withdraw
people from certain points at the front, where the enemy has the greatest advantage in firepower, and this also applies to
Lysychansk, it means only one thing. That we will return thanks to our tactics, thanks to the increase in the supply of
modern weapons." The Ukrainian army said in a statement about the withdrawal from Lysychansk: "The continuation of the
defence of the city would lead to fatal consequences. In order to preserve the lives of Ukrainian defenders, a decision was
made to withdraw."] Sergei Shoigu, the Russian Defence Minister, informed Russian President Putin that all of Luhansk
Oblast had been "liberated".]
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Kyiv and promised sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine,
banning imports of Russian gold, and imposing sanctions and travel bans on 16 Russian senior politicians and oligarchs.
Military assistance will include 14 M113 APCs, 20 more Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles, and other military
equipment. This would bring the total to 88 vehicles given to Ukraine by Australia: 60 Bushmasters and 28 M113 APCs.

4 July
Further information: Battle of Donbas (2022) § Russian operational pause (4 July–16 July)
The Ukrainian governor of Luhansk Oblast, Serhiy Haidai, said Russian forces fighting in Luhansk were "not taking all
their wounded with them" due to the heavy fighting; he also said "the hospitals are full to bursting – as are the
morgues." President Putin said that Russian forces "that took part in active hostilities and achieved success, victory ...
should rest, increase their combat capabilities."
5 July

Ukrainian troops with a T-72 M1 tank donated by Poland, July 2022

Russia's State Duma started preparing legislation to convert to a war economy to be able to order companies to produce war
supplies and make workers work overtime.
According to the United States, Russia sought to acquire military drones from Iran, reporting that a Russian delegation
visited Kashan Airfield, south of Tehran, earlier in June and on 5 July 2022 to observe drones manufactured by Iran. Iran
disputed the assessment by the United States, saying that it would not supply Russia or Ukraine with military equipment
during the war, instead demanding that both nations seek a peaceful resolution.

6 July
Igor Konashenkov, the Russian defence ministry's chief spokesman, said that Russian air-launched high precision missiles
had destroyed two U.S.-supplied HIMARS systems in Ukraine. The Ukrainian military denied the claim, calling it "nothing
more than a fake". The Russian military released video allegedly showing the attack, but it could not be independently
verified.[646]
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev wrote on Telegram that "it would be crazy to create tribunals or courts for the
so-called investigation of Russia's actions These proposals are not only legally void. The idea of punishing a country that
has one of the largest nuclear potentials is absurd in itself. And potentially poses a threat to the existence of humanity.
America brings chaos and devastation around the world under the guise of 'true democracy'". He further criticized the
United States over various issues including the treatment of Native Americans, dropping atomic weapons on Japan and
being a part of wars in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. "The US and its useless stooges should remember the words of the
Bible: 'Judge not, lest you be judged; so that one day the great day of His wrath will not come to their house, and who can
stand?'", concluded Medvedev.

7 July
President Zelenskyy said of Western artillery: "This significantly reduces the offensive potential of the Russian army. The
losses of the occupiers will only increase every week, as will the difficulty of supplying them." [648] Russian forces appear to
be recruiting veteran soldiers and conscripts more intensely, offering them contracts to serve as professional soldiers in the
army for a limited time. In Chechnya, there are reports of people being kidnapped and forced to fight in Ukraine. [649] A report
by IStories indicated that the brigades hardest hit by the war in Ukraine have started advertising online for soldiers,
recruiting unemployed people, sometimes without any training.
It was confirmed by general Igor Konashenkov that Russian forces had paused to rest and regain their combat capabilities.
Though minor ground offensives, and continuous shelling and bombing across Ukraine still continued, the majority of the
Russian forces were thought to have begun to fortify positions and resupply troops for another major offensive in the
coming weeks or months.]
President Putin said to parliamentary leaders: "Today we hear that they want to defeat us on the battlefield. What can you
say, let them try. We have heard many times that the West wants to fight us to the last Ukrainian. This is a tragedy for the
Ukrainian people, but it seems that everything is heading towards this. Everyone should know that, by and large, we haven't
started anything yet in earnest. At the same time, we don't reject peace talks. But those who reject them should know that
the further it goes, the harder it will be for them to negotiate with us." Mykhailo Podolyak, the Ukrainian chief negotiator,
wrote on Twitter in response: "There is no 'collective West' plan. Only a specific z-army which entered sovereign Ukraine,
shelling cities and killing civilians. Everything else is a primitive propaganda. That's why Mr. Putin's mantra of the 'war to
the last Ukrainian' is yet another proof of deliberate Russian genocide."]

8 July
Russia's ambassador to Britain, Andrey Kelin, said during a media interview that Russian and pro-Russian forces were
unlikely to withdraw from southern Ukraine as part of any future peace negotiations. He also vowed that Russia would
"liberate" the Donbas region, and said that further Russian escalation in the war was possible if the flow of Western
weapons into Ukraine "was organised in such a way that it endangers our strategic situation, our defense…."
Alexei Gorinov [ru], a Moscow City Councilor, was sentenced to 7 years in prison after he made anti-war comments during
a children's drawing contest in the Krasnoselsky district. On 15 March he was filmed saying: "How can we talk about any
Children's Day drawing contests  when we have children dying every day in Ukraine?"[failed verification] During his trial Gorinov
held up a placard saying: "Do you still need this war?". Afterwards he said: "They took away my spring, they took away my
summer, and now they've taken away seven more years of my life." Russian lawyer Pavel Chikov noted on Telegram that so
far only two individuals had been convicted under this law: one with a fine, and another a suspended sentence as
punishment.
The governor of the Mykolaiv Oblast, Vitaly Kim, claimed that Russia had been using the surface-to-air S-300 missile
system in a surface-to-surface capacity. He also claimed that some 12 missiles were fired after being retrofitted with GPS
guidance, yet remained inaccurate. However, this was not independently verified.

9 July

Aftermath of the Chasiv Yar rocket attack on 9 July 2022

Rockets fired by Russian forces struck an apartment building in Chasiv Yar, killing at least 48 people.

10 July
Iryna Vereshchuk, the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and the Minister of Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied
Territories, urged Ukrainian refugees "waiting out the war" inside Russian territory to immediately return to Ukraine or
evacuate to European Union countries, warning that an "iron curtain" was impeding their ability to flee. She claimed the
Russians had already begun setting up "filtration camps" on its borders to Estonia to prevent Ukrainians from leaving
Russia for the EU. She also reassured Ukrainian refugees in Russia that they would not be considered collaborators, and
were entitled to government assistance.
Paul Urey, a British national being held by the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), died while in custody. He claimed to be
working as aid worker when he was arrested at a checkpoint near Zaporizhzhia on 25 April. He suffered from type 1
diabetes and needed insulin. The Human Rights Ombudsman of the DPR, Daria Morozova, said on social media that Mr
Urey had been suffering from "diabetes and respiratory, kidney and cardiovascular issues". She also commented: "On our
part, despite the severity of the alleged crime, Paul Urey was provided with appropriate medical assistance. However, given
the diagnoses and stress, he passed away on July 10."

11 July
Oleh Kotenko, the Ukrainian Ombudsman, claimed that 7,200 Ukrainian personnel had gone missing since the start of the
war, revising a previous claim of 2,000 missing. He expressed hope that these personnel, which include "National Guard,
border guards and the security service", could be returned to Ukraine through prisoner swaps with Russia.
In an interview, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Renikov noted plans to retake south Ukraine with a "million-strong
army", though analysts considered this more of a "rallying cry" than a concrete military plan.
The first NASAMS system for Ukraine arrived in Poland from Norway. It appeared to be a NASAMS II variant, and was
delivered by a Ukrainian An-124.
The Russian-appointed head of Velykyi Burluk, Yevgeniy Yunakov, was killed by a car bomb, according to TASS.

12 July
President Zelenskyy said that Ukraine had become an associate member of NATO's Multilateral Interoperability Program.
This allows Ukraine to not only implement NATO standards, but also contribute to the development of new standards. He
claimed that this is a "contribution to the development of collective security in Europe". He also said of Western-supplied
artillery: "The occupiers have already felt very well what modern artillery is. Russian soldiers – and we know this from
interceptions of their conversations – are truly afraid of our Armed Forces." He however acknowledged Ukrainian losses:
"There are victims – wounded and killed. In Donbas, offensive attempts do not stop, the situation there does not get easier,
and the losses do not get smaller."
The Ukrainian spokesman for the Odessa region claimed that the chief of staff for Russia's 22nd Army Corps, Major
General Artyom Nasbulin, was killed during a strike near Kherson by a HIMARS rocket. Ukraine also claimed the death of
some five Colonels in the same strike. Russian forces confirmed the strike, but denied the death of the officers claimed by
Ukraine. They claimed that the Ukrainian rocket hit a warehouse that contained chemicals, which then exploded.

13 July
North Korea recognised the independence of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People's
Republic (LPR), prompting Ukraine to introduce sanctions against the North Korean government.
The interior ministry of the LPR reported that their troops and Russian troops had entered Siversk.

14 July

Aftermath of the 14 July Vinnytsia missile strike

A missile strike in Vinnytsia killed 26 people.

Russia started a "volunteer mobilisation": by the end of the month, 85 federal areas, including Crimea and Sevastopol, were
expected to recruit 400 men each. Those signing a six month contract would receive "3,750 to 6,000 US dollars per month".
Some regions also offered a bonus of US $3,400. The Wagner Group also started recruiting prisoners.
President Putin signed into force a number of laws including the recently announced "special economic measures". These
include forcing private companies to take government contracts, as well as allowing the Russian government to
"temporarily reactivate mobilization capacities and facilities" while "unlocking state reserve material assets". The
government can now also change the work conditions of employees, such as increasing hours worked, unilaterally.

15 July
Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the international community to recognise the Russian Federation as a "terrorist state".
The US House of Representatives passed an amendment that set aside $100 million to train Ukrainian pilots on US fighter
jets. Representative Adam Kinzinger said, "Last night the House passed my bipartisan Ukrainian Fighter Pilots Act, which
authorizes the training of Ukrainian fighter pilots in the U.S. I urge the Senate to get this critical legislation to the
President's desk. Slava Ukraini!"
Ukraine claimed that Russia was using the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station to store weapons, and as a base from which
to fire them.

16 July
During an inspection of troops at an unnamed "command post" in the Donbas, Russian defence minister Sergei
Shoigu ordered troops to escalate buildup "in all operational directions" in Ukraine, suggesting that the Russian army was
probably putting an end to the reported "operational pause" along front lines.
Mikhail Mizintsev, chief of Russia's national defence control centre, said during a briefing that over the last 24 hours,
"28,424 people, including 5,148 children" had been evacuated from the Donbas and other parts of Ukraine to Russia. In
total since Feb 24, some "2,612,747 people, of which 412,553 are children" had been evacuated to Russia. Ukrainian
authorities were not involved in these evacuations, and both US and Ukrainian officials regard them as forcible
deportations.[679]

17 July
See also:  Battle of Donbas (2022) §  Assault along the Siversk–Bakhmut front (17 July–present)
The Chief of UK Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, said that the Russian army had lost 50,000 soldiers via being
killed or wounded, along with nearly 1,700 tanks and nearly 4,000 fighting vehicles, a loss of more than 30% of Russia's
ground forces. He also stated that Russian soldiers were especially struggling with morale. [680]
The Ukrainian President proposed to dismiss Ivan Bakanov, the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, and the Prosecutor
General of Ukraine Iryna Venediktova; up to 60 employees of both agencies were found to have been collaborating with
Russian forces.

18 July
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine can inflict "significant losses" on Russian forces due to Western
weapons. The commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, said: "An important factor contributing to our
retention of defensive lines and positions is the timely arrival of M142 HIMARS, which deliver surgical strikes on enemy
control posts, ammunition and fuel storage depots."
Russian forces reinforced their position in Southern Ukraine. The Ukrainian army claimed that Russian forces were now
trying to hide "behind the civilian population".
President Putin spoke about Western sanctions and how they were causing a "colossal amount of difficulties" to Russia, but
that completely cutting the country off in the modern world is "impossible". He said Russia would "competently look for
new solutions".[684]
Ukraine claimed to have repulsed multiple attacks by Russian forces in the Donetsk region.
The UK MoD said Russian forces face "a dilemma between deploying reserves to the Donbas or defending against
Ukrainian counterattacks in the south-western Kherson sector"

19 July
Alexander Bogomaz, governor of the Russian territory of Bryansk, claimed that the village of Novye Yurkovichi was
shelled from Ukrainian territory; no casualties reported.
The Ukrainian parliament voted to dismiss the Prosecutor-General Iryna Venediktova, and the Head of the Security Service
of Ukraine Ivan Bakanov; other intelligence officials have also been fired including the deputy chief.
The Antonivka Road Bridge was damaged by Ukrainian rocket fire.
20 July
Syria formally broke off diplomatic ties with Ukraine.
In its 16th aid package the US government will announce the supply of additional HIMARS systems, rockets and artillery
shells to Ukraine.
According to Interfax, Russian officials claim a second day of rocket attacks on the Antonivka Road Bridge. Some rockets
were intercepted, however 11 rockets struck, seriously damaging but not closing it to traffic.
The US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, estimates that Russian forces have gained 6–10 miles
of territory over the last 90 days in the Donbas. With “tens of thousands of artillery rounds” fired every day and
night.Former Ambassador to Russia and current head of the CIA, William J. Burns, said of President Putin: "as far as we
can tell he's entirely too healthy." Mr Burns estimates Russian losses near 15,000 killed and 45,000 wounded. Ukraine's
figure is "a little less".

21 July

A school in Kramatorsk damaged by Russian shelling, 21 July 2022

UK Secretary of Defence, Ben Wallace, announced the UK will send "50,000 artillery shells, counter-battery radar systems
and hundreds of drones" and "scores" of artillery guns over the coming weeks.MI6 chief, Richard Moore said that Russia’s
ability to spy has been reduced by “half”.
Ukraine claimed to have done enough damage to stop Russia from using the Antonivka Road Bridge to transport
ammunition.
The CEO of Metinvest, the company that owns the Azovstal iron and steel works, accused Russia of taking £500 million
worth of steel from Ukraine, which has been exported to a number of countries in Africa and Asia. Some of the steel had
already been paid for by European countries, including the UK.

22 July
Russia and Ukraine signed a U.N. and Turkey-brokered deal to free grain exports blockaded by Russia in Ukraine's Black
Sea ports.
The US announced a new aid package, which includes 580 Phoenix Ghost drones.
Lithuania lifted the ban on the transportation of sanctioned goods to Kaliningrad, from Russia, by rail over Lithuanian soil.
[701]

According to sources on the Ukrainian side, Ukrainian forces surrounded about 1,000 to 2,000 Russian soldiers
near Vysokopillia in the Kherson Oblast. Russia anounced the creation of pro russian ukranian volunteer unit called the
Odessa Brigade.

23 July
On 23 July, less than a day after signing a grain export deal with Ukraine, Russia launched Kalibr missiles at the Odesa sea
trade port. According to Ukraine, two of the four missiles were intercepted. Russian officials told Turkey that Russia had
"nothing to do" with the missile strike. The next day, Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman of the Russian Ministry of Defence,
confirmed the strike, claiming that it destroyed a Ukrainian warship and a warehouse of Harpoon anti-ship missiles.

24 July
Russian's Defence Ministry claims to have destroyed 100 HIMARS missiles in a strike on Dnipropetrovsk. Reuters couldn't
independently verify this claim.

25 July
Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Russian Investigative Committee, has ordered the court to open over 1,300 charges against
92 members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine involved in "crimes against the peace and security of humanity".
"Mercenaries" from NATO countries are also suspected.
Slovakia is considering transferring its 11 Mig-29s to Ukraine when they are grounded in August, if it can get replacement
aircraft from NATO.

26 July
Russian forces reportedly captured the Vuhlehirska Power Station, the second biggest power plant in Ukraine, on the
approach to Bakhmut. Ukraine confirmed the capture the next day.
A fire at an oil depot in Donetsk city has been blamed on Ukrainian artillery, according to the DPR-appointed mayor of
Donetsk, Alexey Kulemzin.
Ukraine has received six British Stormer HVM anti-aircraft missile launchers.
Ukraine claims to have struck the Antonivka Road Bridge again with HIMARS rockets.
The US is prepared to treat wounded Ukrainian soldiers at their Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. This is the
first time such treatment has been approved for Ukrainian soldiers at military instead of civilian hospitals.

27 July
The Antonivka bridge has been closed to civilians. A spokesman for Ukrainian Armed forces said that they are not aiming
to destroy the bridge.According to the BBC, Western officials described the bridge as "completely unusable" and UK
officials said that Kherson city is now "virtually cut off from other occupied territories". Russian forces are compensating
by the use of pontoon bridges and ferries. A railway bridge nearby was also damaged.
Ukrainian advisor Oleksiy Arestovych has said that there is a “massive redeployment” of Russian forces to the Kherson
region.
According to US congresswoman Elissa Slotkin, who serves at the United States House Committee on Armed Services,
Democrats and Republicans support sending Ukraine long-range ATACMS missiles.

28 July
Ukrainian soldiers and officers fighting in Donetsk have offered anecdotal evidence of a significant reduction in Russian
artillery fire. Several groups of former Western soldiers have been providing informal basic training to Ukrainian recruits.

29 July
An explosion occurred at Olenivka prison, killing, according to RIA, 40 captured Ukrainian POWs and wounding 75.
Ukraine's General Staff stated that the strike was committed by Russia to hide the torture and executions of Ukrainian
prisoners of war. The claim is now of over 50 Ukrainian POWs killed, including captured members of the Azov
Regiment at Mariupol. Russia claimed the prison was hit with HIMARS missiles and offered fragments of the rocket as
proof. Ukraine is asking the UN and Red Cross to investigate.The Red Cross has asked Russian officials for access to the
Olenivka prison camp, but no response has been received.
Germany will donate 16 bridge-laying Biber tanks: six this year, starting in the autumn, and ten next year.
US Department of Defense officials are reconsidering giving Ukraine US-made fighter jets and training pilots, the main
change the officials cite is how HIMARS rockets are reducing the number of Russian SAMs systems. The department won't
consider training Ukrainian pilots until a "platform" can be agreed upon and is also still wary of Russian air defences. The
department disclosed that it had started the formal process of acquiring the NASAMS for Ukraine. It will be two systems,
which is 12 mobile batteries with 6 missiles each.
Russian forces have built a pontoon bridge underneath the superstructure of the Antonivka bridge to help shield it from
attack; it carries both civilian and military traffic.

30 July
According to the head spokesman for Odesa Regional State Administration, a Ukrainian HIMARS rocket destroyed a
Russian train which had arrived at the station in Brylivka, Kherson Oblast from Crimea on the night of 30 July. The rocket
destroyed 40 cars, killed 80 and wounded 200 Russian soldiers. The drivers and engineers on the train were killed as well,
although the Ukrainian claim is that the crew were employed from Russian Railways.

31 July
Russia has accused Ukraine of a drone strike on the HQ of the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, injuring five and
cancelling Navy Day celebrations. The drone has been described as “homemade” and carrying a “low-power” explosive
device.
Separatist DNR officials claimed Ukrainian troops shelled the city center of Donetsk with PFM-1 anti-personnel land
mines, with one person being wounded.
Aug 1: The first vessel with grain has left Odesa under the U.N. and Turkey-brokered deal between
Ukraine and Russia for the export of food from Ukraine. According to Turkey, the ship will be
headed for Lebanon. The US has announced the 17th aid package for Ukraine, valued at $550
million, including 75,000 rounds of 155mm and more HIMARS ammunition.
Aug 2: The first ship with Ukrainian grain has arrived in Turkey, with more to follow according to
the Ukrainian government. Later that week, three ships loaded with Ukrainian corn, some 58,000
tonnes, arrived from Chornomorsk and Odesa, and four more grain ships left Ukrainian ports bound
for Turkey.
The Azov Regiment has been declared a terrorist group by the Russian Supreme Court. This allows
for harsher penalties to be imposed on members of the Azov Regiment.
Aug 3: The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is completely out of control under Russian
occupation. A mission to inspect the plant is being planned by IAEA, and waiting on approval by
Ukrainian and Russian sides. Ukraine's state nuclear company opposed under reasoning that "any
visit would legitimise Russia's presence there".
Aug 4: Amnesty International had accused Ukraine of breaching the international laws of war by
placing weapons and encampments in civilian areas with “military bases or densely wooded areas
nearby”. President Zelenskyy retorted by saying that these claims try to offer "amnesty to the
terrorist state and shift the responsibility from the aggressor to the victim". Three days later, the
Ukrainian head of Amnesty International Oksana Pokalchuk resigned over the report.
North Macedonia said it would donate four Su-25s to Ukraine, jets that Ukraine sold to the country
in 2001.
Aug 5: The UK MoD has said that the war is going to enter a "new phase", with Russian forces
moving from Crimea and other parts of Ukraine to a front line extending from Zaporizhzhia to
Kherson, along the Dnieper River. This is in response to a possible Ukrainian counteroffensive in
the region.
Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of shelling the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear power plant, with
shells having hit the power lines forcing the operators to disconnect a reactor.
According to Russian media, officials of North Korea have offered to provide Russia with 100,000
volunteer soldiers for use in the war. Russian officials have not yet decided if they'll accept the
offer. The US government is preparing a new military aid package for Ukraine, at a value of
approximately $1 billion.
Aug 8: The Pentagon has confirmed that Ukraine has been supplied with AGM-88 HARM at an
unknown date after wreckage was found near a Russian position. The United States Department of
Defense announced the 18th military aid package for Ukraine.
Aug 9: Some 12 explosions have been heard at the Russian Saki military airbase in Novofedorivka,
Crimea. The base is some 220 kilometers from Ukrainian forces. Ukraine claimed at least 9 Russian
aircraft were destroyed, not confirming the source of the explosions.
Aug 10: President Zelenskyy said that "this Russian war...began with Crimea and must end with
Crimea - with its liberation". Previously he had said that he would accept peace with Russia if they
fell back to their 24 February positions.
Russian troops captured the Knauf plant near Soledar.
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace announced 3 more M270 MLRS would be sent to Ukraine.

How to research:

The first thing a delegate must understand is their country’s relation with the agenda and its
foreign policy, the delegate must ensure to not stray away from the country’s foreign policy.
The delegate must learn about the major as well was minor issues, understand it through
various perspectives and think effectively to provide solution or so.
The delegate must understand the situation’s past, present and aim for a developed future.
It is good to know about your countries allies as well as enemies.
At the end of the day, we are looking for solution to the conflict, hence the delegate must be
able to provide realistic solutions to the multiple issues that may arise or pre-exist.
The delegates are advised to come p with new and innovation solutions and bring changes
and advancements on the existing solutions
As for the source of your data, it is highly recommended to stick with a source of reliable
information such as the United Nations website, trustworthy news and media outlets such as
the International Press Corps.

Extras:
Possible idk mod cauc topics?
NATO reinforcements
Foreign support basically
REFUGEES
MENTAL HEALTH
Genocide dealing with nuclear weapons
Demands in other dealership countries etc etc