War in Ukraine: What do all the words mean?

Russia has invaded Ukraine, and the world is following the story very closely.

While you're keeping up to date with what's going on, you might be coming across a lot of new words and phrases.

So, we've taken some of the key terms you need to know about the war in Ukraine, and explained what they mean.

If there are any words that you think we've missed, let us know in the comments below.

Annexation

Annexation is when a country decides it now controls another area, without the agreement of the people involved or anyone else they might need to get permission from.

It is forbidden by international law.

It's what was done to Crimea by Russia in 2014 - something that is seen to have been the start of the current war in Ukraine.

Displaced

Many people living in the capital Kyiv fled the city when Russia invaded

If a person is displaced, it means that they've been forced to leave their home because it's no longer safe to live there.

If someone displaces another person, it means they are the reason the other person is forced out of where they live.

EU

The EU stands for the European Union of countries which have close a political, economic and trade partnership.

The group has 27 members including France, Germany, Spain and Ireland in western Europe and also Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Bulgaria in Eastern Europe.

One of the reasons experts believe Russia has attacked Ukraine is because the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, is worried that Ukraine will try to join the EU.

Invasion

An invasion is when an army enters another country by force.

It's usually done to take control of the area or country they're entering.

Kyiv

Sofia Square in the Shevchenkivsky district of Kyiv with the monastery of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra visible in the background

Kyiv is the capital of Ukraine. It sits just to the north of the centre of the country, astride the biggest river in Ukraine - the Dnieper.

The Ukrainian government is based there and military experts believe that one of Russian's main goals will be to control or take over the city.

According to the Ukrainian government, over two million people live there which makes it the seventh biggest city in Europe by population. It is one of Eastern Europe's most famous cities and experts believe it has existed since the 5th Century.

It is also home to the famous football team Dynamo Kyiv who have reached the semi finals of the European Cup/Champions League three times.

Kremlin

The Kremlin is slap bang in the middle of Moscow, and is one of Russia's most famous landmarks

The Kremlin is a big fortress in Moscow containing government buildings and the official residence of Russia's leaders.

Think of it like number 10 Downing Street in the UK, or the White House in the US. It was built hundreds of years ago, at the end of the 15th century.

The Kremlin is also a term used to refer to parts of the Russian government - again, in the same way someone in the UK might refer to Number 10 as a way of talking about the Prime Minister's team.

Nato

Nato soldiers in Serbia in 2021

Nato stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

It is an international organisation which brings together the armies of various countries, including the UK, the United States and France.

The aim of Nato is to make sure that its member countries all defend each other against anybody that might attack them, like Russia. Ukraine isn't a member of Nato, which is why Nato isn't getting involved.

It was formed by 12 countries in 1949, four years after the Second World War (WW2).

As of 2022, Nato now has 30 member countries.

'Nuclear deterrent'

Part of the UK's nuclear deterrent - Trident - is kept permanently at sea on submarines.

Nuclear missiles are hugely powerful and devastating weapons of war, that have only been used in conflict by the US against in Japan in 1945, at the end of the Second World War.

A 'nuclear deterrent' is a military and political idea that having nuclear weapons is a country's best defence against anyone using nuclear weapons against them.

The theory is that is that if you have these weapons, anyone who attacks you would face as much, or more, damage from your attacks in return than they would gain by attacking in the first place.

So in theory this 'nuclear deterrent' would put them off.

Not everyone agrees with this theory and others argue that the more countries that have nuclear weapons the more likely they are to be used in conflict.

Only five countries currently admit to being powers with nuclear weapons: the USA, the UK, France, China and Russia, although experts say others may have them too.

Since the 1980s, generally the big powers have worked together to reduce the number of weapons they have, rather than increasing them.

Oligarchs

Oligarchs are a group of very successful business people in Russia who became very rich very quickly after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

They own a lot of important things in Russia, like media companies, oil plants and banks. They've also bought a lot of businesses and properties in places like London.

Because of their involvement in such big Russian organisations, some people think they have a lot of political influence in the country.

Putin

Vladimir Putin is the President of Russia. It's he who has given the order for Russian troops to enter Ukraine.

The reasons he says he has given for doing this include aggression from Nato (see above), he has also claimed that Ukraine is part of Russia and isn't a 'real' country, and also that he is trying to protect Russians living there from oppression.

These claims have been rejected by the elected Ukrainian government and by most western powers.

Refugee

Many people from Ukraine are fleeing the country and becoming refugees

A refugee is someone who leaves their country because it has become unsafe for them to stay there. They then go and look for somewhere to live in a different country.

War is often a reason this happens - the United Nations say that up to four million refugees could flee Ukraine as a result of the war that's happening there.

Sanctions

A sanction is a penalty applied to a country by another when they are seen to be doing something wrong.

They can also be set against companies, organisations or even individual people.

Some countries have personally sanctioned the Russian President Vladimir Putin

Sanctions are imposed in an attempt to change a country's government's behaviour.

Short of going to war, they are one of the toughest measures a country can take.

Sanctions are often financial, so about money - for example, a country may say they'll stop trading with another, which impacts how much money that country can make.

Separatists

A separatist is a person who is a member of a certain group (this could be religious, or people with particular political beliefs) who think that this group should be independent from the country they're in.

This means that they would have a separate government or in some way live apart from other people.

Slava Ukraine

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been using the phrase in lots of videos he's been posting of himself on social media

This is a phrase that's being used a lot in videos of people in Ukraine right now, including the country's President Volodymyr Zelensky.

It's Ukrainian for 'Glory to Ukraine', and started in the army - it first become popular during the Ukrainian War Of Independence from 1917-1921.

Sovereignty

A map of Europe showing Ukraine and Russia

This is the term used to describe the authority a country has to govern itself. This means that no one else has the right to interfere in their affairs, or decisions that their government makes.

Similarly, a sovereign nation is a country that has a government that has the power to decide what happens within its borders.

People are angry at Russia's invasion of Ukraine because they think it violates Ukraine's right to govern without interference.

United Nations

This is the flag of the UN

The United Nations, or UN, is an organisation made up of representatives from 193 countries (which is almost every country in the world).

They have a few aims, including bringing governments together to meet and form friendships, and to promote peace and security around the world.

If any of the member states has a problem, they can bring it to the UN, where it will be discussed and they will try to find solutions.

USSR/The Soviet Union

The flag of the USSR was a red flag with a gold hammer crossed with a sickle, which is a symbol of communism

Russia and Ukraine both used to be part of a very big country called the Soviet Union, and before that the Russian Empire.

In 1922, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (the USSR) - better known as the Soviet Union, was formed. It invaded and annexed a lot of other countries.

The USSR was a communist country, with its headquarters in Russia's capital Moscow, and it did not agree with western, capitalist countries (like the UK and the US) and their way of doing things, like letting people speak freely or elect their own leaders.

For many years the western countries and the USSR fought what's known as the Cold War, which only ended with the break up of the USSR.

The USSR existed until 1991, when it broke up into 15 smaller countries, as the states it had annexed became independent again.

Zelensky

Volodymyr Zelensky is the President of Ukraine.

President Zelensky has only been in power since April 2019, and before that he had a very different life - he was a comedian and actor.

However, he went on to win the election with 73% of the vote, promising to fight corruption and bring peace to parts of eastern Ukraine that had been caught up in fighting.

Since Russia's invasion he has remained in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and had been in charge of his country's defences.

He has also been vocal in calling for the rest of the world to support Ukraine and punish Russia for its actions.