Video_2022-02-22_00-06-10.mp4 (Instant 2026)

: On the evening of February 21 and into the early hours of February 22, Russia officially recognized the independence of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) . Immediately following this, Putin ordered Russian "peacekeeping" troops into these territories.

: Metadata from some videos released around this time suggested they had been filmed days before their "live" broadcast, a tactic used to manufacture a sense of immediate crisis. Key Events on February 22 video_2022-02-22_00-06-10.mp4

: This date saw a significant increase in shelling and military activity along the "line of contact" in the Donbas region. Videos circulating at this time often depicted explosions, night-time tracer fire, or the movement of Russian military convoys toward the Ukrainian border. : On the evening of February 21 and

: Some videos purportedly showed Ukrainian saboteurs or shelling in Russian-held territory to provide a pretext for the invasion. Key Events on February 22 : This date