(CNN Spanish) --
It seemed impossible that a large-scale war would break out again in Europe, and that Russia would once again be at the center.
But it happened.
On February 24, Russian troops invaded Ukraine and since then, the fighting and suffering for the Ukrainian population have not stopped.
This Thursday marks exactly one month since the first Russian tanks crossed the border.
Now, with the Russian advance slowing -- Ukraine still controls major cities -- and talks moving forward, the world is wondering whether peace may be on the horizon or whether war has, in fact, just begun.
Here's what you need to know about the Russian-initiated war in Ukraine.
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Russia's war in Ukraine continues with the Ukrainian resistance responding on several fronts in the country.
There are dead, wounded and thousands upon hundreds of Ukrainian refugees.
And the devastation of the Ukrainian infrastructure has left chaos and destruction.
Smoke and flames are seen in this photo near Kyiv on February 26.
Explosions rocked parts of the capital as Ukrainians struggled to contain advancing Russian troops.
(Credit: Gleb Garanich/Reuters)
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The building of the Department of Economics of the Karazin Kharkiv National University and the complex of buildings housing the Kharkiv regional SBU security service and the regional police were reportedly hit during the recent Russian shelling on March 2, 2022. ( Credit: SERGEY BOBOK/AFP via Getty Images)
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An apartment building in Kyiv was hit by shelling on February 26.
(Credit: GENYA SAVILOV/AFP via Getty Images)
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A man clears debris from a damaged residential building on Koshytsa Street, a suburb of Ukraine's capital Kyiv, where a military shell landed, on February 25, 2022, after Russian troops invaded Ukraine.
That day explosions could be heard in the besieged capital.
The predawn explosions in Kyiv set off a second day of violence after Russian President Vladimir Putin defied Western warnings to unleash a full-scale ground invasion and airstrike.
(Credit: DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images)
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A Ukrainian serviceman looks in the window of a destroyed residential building where a Russian military shell landed, destroying the building.
The air attack displaced some 100,000 people in the first few days.
(Credit: DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images)
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A local soldier helps an elderly woman cross a bridge that was destroyed by artillery in the outskirts of Kyiv on March 2.
(Credit: Emilio Morenatti/AP)
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This photo shows an explosion at a television tower in Kyiv on March 1.
Russian forces fired rockets near the tower, hitting a Holocaust memorial site in Kyiv hours after warning of "high-precision" attacks on other facilities linked to Ukrainian security agencies.
(Credit: Carlos Barria/Reuters)
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Fire burns at a sports complex across the street from the Kyiv Television Tower on March 2, 2022 in the Ukrainian capital.
The country's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, said at least five people were killed when a shell landed yesterday in the area, which is located next to the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center.
(Credit: Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
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A mannequin hangs from a broken shop window after Russian forces shelled Constitution Square in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, on March 2, 2022. (Credit: SERGEY BOBOK/AFP via Getty Images)
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A firefighter walks through the rubble at a building entrance after Russian forces shelled the Constitution Square in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
Russia took control of the southern port city of Kherson, while street battles raged in Kharkiv.
Meanwhile, Kyiv prepares for a feared Russian assault.
(Credit: SERGEY BOBOK/AFP via Getty Images)
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A wrecked car and a sea of debris are seen in Kharkiv's Constitution Square, Ukraine, after the Russian bombardment.
(Credit: SERGEY BOBOK/AFP via Getty Images)
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This image shows damage to Kharkiv's Constitution Square on the seventh day of fighting between Russia and Ukraine on March 2.
(Credit: SERGEY BOBOK/AFP via Getty Images)
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Doors and windows of this building in Kharkiv were destroyed after the Russian bombing on March 2, 2022. (Credit: SERGEY BOBOK/AFP via Getty Images)
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A gym was bombed next to the TV Tower in Kyiv on March 2, 2022 as Russian forces continued their advance to take the Ukrainian capital.
(Credit: Anastasia Vlasova/Getty Images)
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Police officers remove the body of a bystander who was killed in the airstrike that hit Kyiv's main TV tower on March 2, 2022. Behind is the devastation of nearby buildings after the shelling.
(Credit: ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)
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A Ukrainian serviceman helps a child cross the destroyed bridge on March 1, 2022 in Irpin, Ukraine, as Russian forces continue to advance on the Ukrainian capital.
(Credit: Anastasia Vlasova/Getty Images)
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View of the military facility that was destroyed by recent shelling in the city of Brovary, outside Kyiv, on March 1, 2022. (Credit: GENYA SAVILOV/AFP via Getty Images)
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An armed man walks past a burned-out military vehicle at a checkpoint in the city of Brovary, outside Kyiv, on March 1, 2022, following the attack by Russian troops on Ukrainian soil.
(Credit: GENYA SAVILOV/AFP via Getty Images)
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An administrative building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, after the Russian bombing on March 1.
Russian forces intensified their shelling of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city.
(Credit: Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
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A bridge was destroyed near the city of Bucha, Ukraine, on February 28.
(Credit: Maxim Levin/Reuters)
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Russian infantry mobility vehicles were destroyed after fighting in Kharkiv on February 28.
A residential neighborhood in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, was hit by a rocket attack, according to Ukrainian officials and multiple social media videos geolocated by CNN.
One civilian was killed and 31 people were injured at the time, the city council said.
(Credit: Ergei Bobok/AFP/Getty Images)
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A Russian armored vehicle catches fire after fighting in Kharkiv on February 27.
Street clashes erupted as Russian troops entered Ukraine's second-largest city, with residents urged to stay in shelters and not travel.
(Credit: Marienko Andrew/AP)
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A damaged residential building in Kyiv on February 26.
(Credit: Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images)
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A firefighter walks through the wreckage of a downed plane in Kyiv on February 25.
(Credit: Oleksandr Ratushniak/AP)
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In this Ukrainian government photo, firefighters respond to the scene of a burning residential building in Kyiv on February 25.
Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the head of Ukraine's Interior Ministry, said the city had been hit by "cruise or ballistic missiles."
(Credit: State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Why did Russia invade Ukraine?
After months of tension and escalation between Russia and Ukraine, with more than 150,000 soldiers, equipped with armored vehicles deployed on the border, and reports of exchanges of fire between Ukrainians and pro-Russian rebels in the Donbas region, Moscow has finally invaded: it announced on 24 February the start of special military operations in Ukraine.
Days earlier Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, had recognized the separatist territories in Ukraine – Donetsk and Luhansk, controlled by pro-Russian rebels since 2014 – and announced the sending of soldiers to Donbas, further fueling tensions.
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The situation has political, historical and strategic edges.
This is a look at each of them.
Timeline, data and history of Ukraine
Ukraine is the second largest European country in area after Russia.
It borders Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Belarus, Russia, and the Black Sea in Eastern Europe.
These are some general facts about the country that is now under the watchful eye of the world.
In addition, here you can read more about the tense history between Ukraine and Russia, and also about the connections of the former Soviet Union with the crisis.
Who exactly is Vladimir Putin?
This is a look at the life of Vladimir Putin, elected in 2000 as president of Russia and the man who ordered the invasion of Ukraine.
Here, too, are the reasons why Putin has blamed NATO for the crisis.
Is Vladimir Putin the richest man in the world?
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What are war crimes and who can judge them?
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has once again put the focus on war crimes, their definition and the possibility of prosecuting their perpetrators.
These are basic facts and history of war crimes, including who can be prosecuted and by what agencies.
The arsenals faced
Russia's and Ukraine's military capabilities are so lopsided that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky implored his Western allies at the start of the conflict to do more than impose sanctions to get Russian troops off Ukrainian soil.
A true David versus Goliath fight.
But Ukraine receives arms shipments from NATO countries, and the situation has caused an escalation of tensions between the United States - the main member of the Atlantic Alliance - and Russia.
In this case, the armed forces of both powers are closer to equilibrium.
This has been, day by day, the war in Ukraine
This is the chronology and some basic data of the conflict, from the Russian invasion that occurred on February 24 until today, which has left thousands of military and civilian deaths.
The talks between Russia and Ukraine
Just four days after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian and Russian representatives met for a first round of talks in an attempt to find a way to end hostilities.
Since that first meeting in Belarus, which took place on February 28, four others have been held between representatives of Ukraine and Russia, in addition to a meeting between Foreign Ministers Dmytro Kuleba and Sergey Lavrov.
This is what we know about the different rounds of talks and the positions of the parties.
This is Poland, the country that is receiving the most refugees
Located in the heart of Europe, Poland is the geographical and cultural crossroads between East and West.
With a rich and turbulent history, World War II broke out in this country, home to thousands of Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust.
It was a satellite state of the Soviet Union and until the end of the 90s the communist regime came to an end.
Here, a look at this country that since February 2022 has welcomed more than half of the Ukrainians fleeing their country amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to UN data, more than 3,500,000 people have left the country since the start of the war.
What is it like to assist Ukrainian refugees?
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What effect can the war have in Latin America?
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has hit oil, gas and food prices hard, and its effects are being felt around the world.
In addition, countries with significant relations with Russia also risk feeling the consequences of sanctions.
These are some possible effects in Latin America of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
These are 5 possible scenarios for the end of the conflict
Two questions grab everyone's attention right now.
When will the end of the war in Ukraine and what will be the conclusion of the largest war conflict Europe has seen since World War II?
Here, five possible scenarios, according to reports and expert opinions, for the end of a conflict that has left thousands dead and millions of refugees.