section_path: Prelude
section_name: Prelude
paragraph_text: Prelude
  
  There was Russian military build-up near Ukraine's borders in March and April 2021, and again in both Russia and Belarus from October 2021 onward. Russia said it was only holding military exercises. Members of its government, including Putin, repeatedly denied having plans to invade Ukraine, issuing denials up until the day before the invasion.
  
  While Russian troops massed on Ukraine's borders, Russia's proxy forces launched thousands of attacks on Ukrainian troops in the Donbas. Observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which includes Ukraine and Russia, reported more than 90,000 ceasefire violations throughout 2021; most in Russian-controlled territory.
  
  In July 2021, Putin published an essay " On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians ", in which he called Ukraine "historically Russian lands" and claimed there is "no historical basis" for the "idea of Ukrainian people as a nation separate from the Russians". Putin claimed Ukraine never had "real statehood" and the creation of modern Ukraine was a mistake. Putin was accused of promoting Russian imperialism, historical revisionism and disinformation.
  
  The December 2021 Russian ultimatum to NATO, included demands that NATO end activity in its Eastern European member states and ban Ukraine or any former Soviet state from ever joining the alliance. Russia's government said NATO was a threat and warned of a military response if it followed an "aggressive line". Some demands had already been ruled out by NATO. A US official said the US was willing to discuss the proposals, but there were some "the Russians know are unacceptable". Eastern European states willingly joined NATO for security reasons, and the last time a country bordering Russia had joined was in 2004. Ukraine had not yet applied, and some members were wary of letting it join. Barring Ukraine would go against NATO's " open door " policy, and against treaties agreed to by Russia. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg replied that "Russia has no say" on whether Ukraine joins, and "no right to establish a sphere of influence to try to control their neighbours". NATO underlined that it is a defensive alliance, and it had co-operated with Russia until the latter annexed Crimea. It offered to improve communication with Russia, and negotiate limits on missile placements and military exercises, as long as Russia withdrew troops from Ukraine's borders, but Russia did not.
  
  Western leaders vowed heavy sanctions would be imposed should Putin invade rather than negotiate. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met Putin in February 2022 to dissuade him from an invasion. Putin told him that Ukraine should not be an independent state. Scholz told Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to declare Ukraine a neutral country and renounce its aspirations to join NATO. Zelenskyy replied that Putin could not be trusted, as he had broken agreements. Ukraine had been a neutral country in 2014 when Russia occupied Crimea and invaded the Donbas. On 19 February, Zelenskyy made a speech at the Munich Security Conference, calling for Western powers to end their " appeasement " towards Putin and give a clear time-frame for when Ukraine could join NATO. Analysts Taras Kuzio and Vladimir Socor agree that "when Russia made its decision to invade Ukraine, that country was more remote than ever not only from NATO membership but from any track that might lead to membership".
  
  Shortly before the invasion, Russia's proxy forces stepped up attacks on Ukrainian forces and civilians in the Donbas. Separatist leaders warned that Ukraine was about to launch an offensive, but they gave no evidence, and The Guardian noted it would be "exceedingly risky" for Ukraine to assault the Donbas while Russian troops were massed on its borders. Ukraine and Western leaders accused Russia of staging false flag attacks and trying to provoke retaliation, to give Russia a pretext for invading. On 17 February, Russian proxy forces shelled a kindergarten in Ukrainian-held territory, then blamed it on Ukraine. Zelenskyy said his military would not respond to the provocations.