3-year of Ukraine war: Will it stop or take a new turn?
Today, Monday, February 24, 2025, marks the third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war. Although this war is often referred to simply as the Ukraine war, as the entire conflict is taking place on Ukrainian territory. On February 24, 2022, Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. Vladimir Putin had hoped that Russia would quickly seize Ukraine. However, many analysts had predicted that this war would turn into a prolonged conflict, which indeed came true. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, this is the first time Russia has engaged in such a long-term war. Ukraine claims that Russia has lost 400,000 soldiers in this conflict. While the exact number remains uncertain, sources like BBC and Al Jazeera have reported that by December 2024, Russia had lost at least 150,000 troops, while Ukraine had lost around 50,000 soldiers. Although Ukraine has suffered fewer military casualties, its overall losses have been massive. Nearly 8 million Ukrainians have fled the country, and 5 million have been internally displaced. Russia has occupied approximately 4,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory.
