In the early hours of February 24, Russia invaded Ukraine from the north, east and south of the country, confident of a lightning-quick victory. Now Putin faces a stalled war that has left tens of thousands of civilian and military casualties.
Vladimir Putin hoped for a quick victory by taking Kiev, but unexpected Ukrainian resistance disrupted his plans. The failure of the lightning invasion has given way 100 days later to a stalled conflict that has already left tens of thousands of lives on both sides, both military and civilian. After being forced to withdraw from northern Ukraine, Russian troops are now marching into Donbas with blood and fire.
Russia claims to have killed 14,000 Ukrainian soldiers since the start of the war. As for its own victims, Moscow maintains its secrecy and even punishes those who reveal data about the progress of the conflict with up to 15 years in prison. The last part reported 4,000 deaths. Ukraine admits 1,300 casualties in its ranks and claims to have killed 30,500 Russian soldiers.
Ukraine claims to have destroyed 1,358 main battle tanks, 649 artillery systems, 207 armored multiple rocket launchers, 208 aircraft, 174 helicopters, 93 anti-aircraft systems, 2,275 vehicles and fuel tanks, 13 boats and 515 drones. Weapons supplied by the West, such as the Javelin anti-tank missiles that the US and UK have supplied en masse to the Kiev forces, have wreaked havoc on the Russian military.
The UN puts the number of civilian dead at more than 4,100, of which 261 are children as of Feb. 24, although it recognizes there may be tens of thousands more. Evidence of summary executions has been found as Ukrainian forces have reclaimed territory in the north of the country. 420 civilians were killed in the city of Bucha alone. Days later, Putin decorated the unit that had committed the war crimes. In the Mariúpol Theater, converted into a shelter and with the word “children” painted on the outside, another 600 people lost their lives after a bombing raid by Moscow troops. The mayor of this city in southern Ukraine, conquered by blood and fire by the Russians, has indicated that 22,000 people could have been killed during the siege.
Since February 24, 6.5 million refugees have left Ukraine, one million of whom, according to the Kiev version, have been forced to move to Russian territory. In addition, an additional 8 million people have had to move within national borders to flee the fighting. Of a total of 40.1 million Ukrainians, 36% of them have been forced to leave their homes. With 3.5 million, Poland is the country that has received the most refugees. It is followed by Romania (970,000), Hungary (649,000), Moldova (472,000) and Slovakia (444,000). Spain has approved 112,000 applications for international protection.
The European Union has sent war materials worth €2,000 million to Ukraine and approved a further 10,000 million package in macro-financial aid to counter the economic decline in GDP. These funds will be added to the €37,700 million pledged by the US in economic, military and humanitarian aid. The last 700 million is earmarked for the supply of high-tech missile systems capable of hitting long-range targets.
On the other side of aid to Ukraine are sanctions against Russia, its oligarchs and even Putin himself. The United States, the EU, the United Kingdom and the rest of the G7 partners have imposed financial, commercial and industrial, personal and other diplomatic or media measures. In turn, a large number of companies, such as McDonald’s, Zara or Ikea, have ceased operations in Russia. By the end of the year, the EU will stop importing 90% of Russia’s oil, which means a loss of EUR 80,000 million for Moscow. Putin has responded with a series of measures aimed at circumventing or minimizing sanctions imposed by the West and its allied countries. These measures include the intention to nationalize foreign assets, the control of foreign currency or the demand for payment in rubles for gas.
According to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Ukraine’s gross domestic product will fall by 30% in 2022 as a result of the invasion, although the Kiev authorities estimate that this percentage could rise to 50%. Russia is forecast to fall another 10% this year. According to UN calculations, the conflict, if it drags on, will push 9 out of 10 Ukrainians into or near poverty, putting nearly two decades of development gains at stake. Kiev stresses that in these 100 days of war, buildings, roads, bridges, hospitals or schools worth 100,000 million dollars have been destroyed and half of the companies in the country have ceased operations.
Source: La Verdad
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