When Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine a year ago, he expected to quickly capture Kyiv in a knockout blow against his eastern European neighbor. "As Russian forces tried for Kyiv and continued their push to seize territory in the east, Russian troops also made moves in southeastern Ukraine throughout the spring and waged a scorched-earth campaign to capture the strategic port city of Mariupol. The region also served as a launchpad for Russia when it began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022