Hundreds of thousands dead. Millions of artillery shells fired. Billions of dollars lost. These
numbers barely scratch the surface of the toll the War in Ukraine has taken over the last year.
On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. Almost 12 months later,
the war is still raging. Putin and the rest of the world initially thought that Ukraine would
fall within the first few weeks of attacks, but it seems as if everyone underestimated the
resolve and strength of the Ukrainian people. As we approach the one-year anniversary of the war,
some staggering statistics present themselves for analysis, some of which will be hard to swallow.
In any war, there will be loss of life. However, the nature of Russian warfare
during the conflict has left large numbers of soldiers, civilians, and children dead.
The numbers coming out of Ukraine are constantly changing as there are relatively few time-outs in
war. And even when cease-fires have been called in the past, Russia has
willingly ignored them and continued to butcher innocent people. At the beginning of the war,
several cease-fires were agreed upon to allow the evacuation of Ukrainian citizens
out of cities and towns on the front lines. However, even after Russia agreed to allow for
a safe corridor out of these areas, they never stopped firing. Innocent lives were taken, and
civilians who just wanted to escape the carnage became stuck in a nightmare of all-out war.
Reports coming out of Ukraine vary wildly, but best estimates put civilian casualties
somewhere between 20 and 40 thousand people. No fewer than 7,000 civilians have been confirmed
dead as a direct result of fighting in Ukraine. A number of factors caused these deaths. Many
were killed by Russian artillery strikes, kamikaze drones, and missiles. However,
Russian soldiers and mercenaries hired by Putin—such as those of the Wagner Group—have
also been responsible for the deaths of Ukrainian Civilians as they carry out acts of terror.
One grizzly example of this was during the Bucha Massacre, which occurred sometime between the
initial invasion and April of 2022. When Ukrainian forces started to retake territory around Kyiv,
they found that Russian forces had left behind a scene of carnage in the town
of Bucha. It was here that 458 civilian bodies were found. 419 people were killed by weapons;
the remaining died of natural causes, likely due to the occupation. The most
tragic aspect of the Bucha Massacre was that 9 children were slain
by the retreating Russian soldiers and the mercenaries that accompanied them.
There is no forgiving what happened at Bucha. Unfortunately, there have been several accounts
of Russian forces intentionally torturing and killing Ukrainian civilians to instill
fear in the general population. This has been done in the hopes that it will lessen
their resolve and make the fight easier. The tactic has failed, and the Ukrainian
population has remained strong and resilient as they defend their country from Russia.
Since the war is being fought on Ukrainian soil, almost all civilian deaths recorded are
Ukrainian. However, some startling statistics emerge when we examine what is happening in
Russia. Not everyone in Russia agrees with Putin. And when you voice your opposition
against an authoritarian leader’s decisions, bad things can happen. A handful of Russian civilians
have been injured or died during sabotage missions by Ukrainian forces, but that is
nothing compared to the number who have perished at the hands of Vladamir Putin and his cronies.
Reports indicate that thousands of people have been killed during the violent suppression of
war protests. At the beginning of the conflict, Russian citizens took to the streets to voice
their disapproval of the invasion of Ukraine. As the war progressed, other demonstrations broke out
against the forced conscription of Russians and the war crimes carried out in Ukraine. Once again,
Putin sent in his riot police. And when soldiers with automatic weapons face unarmed protesters,
it never ends well. Thousands of Russians were killed, thousands more arrested. Those who
were taken into custody were either sent to the front lines or thrown in a Russian prison to rot.
So, Russian soldiers are killing civilians in Ukraine. Russian soldiers are killing
civilians in Russia. And Vladamir Putin is killing anyone who speaks out against him,
no matter how rich or powerful they are. Wealthy oligarchs have been dying
under mysterious circumstances ever since Putin rose to power,
but these assassinations have ramped up after several wealthy businessmen condemned Putin’s
actions in Ukraine. This means that the total civilian casualties in Ukraine and Russia have
likely risen into the tens of thousands as the first year of the war comes to an end.
And this number doesn’t even include the 40,000 Russians that drank themselves to death during the
year. Alcoholism is a huge problem in the nation, and the war has only exacerbated the problem. As
fears of being conscripted rise, poverty gets worse due to sanctions, and life becomes more
miserable overall, Russian citizens are turning to the bottle. A large chunk of civilians who
died from alcohol poisoning over the past year can probably be linked to the stresses caused by war.
Then, of course, there are the military casualties.
Again, the number of soldiers dying in the war literally changes each day as Russians
and Ukrainians are blown up by artillery, missiles, and deadly skirmishes. However,
estimates put the total Russian casualties around 130,000. At the beginning of the war,
when intense fighting was a daily occurance, the number of soldiers
who perished daily was much higher. Since the winter months have begun in Ukraine,
the fighting has slowed as both sides prepare for the coming offensives in spring.
However, even while taking up defensive positions until the next phase of the war,
long-range strikes have continued causing the deaths of both soldiers and civilians.
Most estimates suggest that around 100,000 Ukraine soldiers have either been killed or
wounded during the conflict. This number is most likely less than the number of Russian casualties,
but the loss of life on each side is astonishing. As you watch this video, there is a good chance
that the number of casualties has just increased on at least one of the sides of this war.
Perhaps the most insane statistic coming out of the War in Ukraine is
the number of artillery shells that have been fired over the past year.
It’s estimated that Ukraine was firing between 4,000 and 7,000 artillery shells a day during the
initial months of the invasion. This number has been dialed back due to the reduction in fighting
during the winter and the dwindling supply of artillery shells, but even conservative
estimates put the number of shells fired thus far by Ukraine at well over one million.
Now let's look at the number of artillery rounds fired. At the beginning of the war, Russia had
the second-largest military in the world, at least on paper. But as we have seen, having a
large military doesn’t necessarily mean you have a strong military. What it does mean is that you
have a lot of weapons and in Russia’s case, a massive amount of artillery and ammunition.
Estimates vary on how many shells Russia fired during the first months of intense fighting in
Ukraine, but around 20,000 a day seems to be somewhat of an average. Some reports suggest
it may have been as high as 60,000 shells per day, while others suggest closer to 10,000. Either way,
Russia has been firing many more shells than Ukraine has. If we take the average estimate,
it means that Russia has fired somewhere around 5 million artillery rounds over the last year.
And the actual number may be much higher. This is an incredible statistic, and it should come
as no surprise that both Russia and Ukraine are running low on artillery shells. However,
unlike guided missiles and drones, artillery ammunition is relatively easy to make,
which means more and more are produced every day.
But artillery shells are not the only thing running low. Each side
has lost a number of vehicles as well. However,
Russia seems to be winning the race of who can lose more military equipment during the war.
So, how much equipment has actually been lost? As the first year of the war comes to a close,
estimates put Russia way ahead in the amount of equipment destroyed or captured over the
past 12 months. Conservatively we are looking at around 9,000 individual pieces of equipment lost
by Russia compared to around 3,000 for Ukraine. The specific type of equipment varies widely from
armored vehicles to naval ships. What will become apparent is that Ukrainian forces are incredibly
efficient at destroying Russian equipment. Even when Ukraine loses military assets,
they end up destroying many more high-profile targets in the trade against Russia.
No matter what Putin says, his forces are not winning many battles. They are
not defeating Ukrainian forces. And they are most certainly not in any
position to win the war as we approach the one-year anniversary of the invasion.
At the beginning of the war, Russia was reported to have around 3,300 tanks ready
for battle. The number of tanks in reserve was estimated to be around
12,000. Ukraine, on the other hand, had fewer than 2,000 tanks altogether. This is one of the
reasons why the world assumed that Ukraine didn’t stand a chance when Russian forces rolled in.
However, one of the biggest defeats that Ukraine has dealt Russia over the last year is the
destruction or capture of hundreds of tanks. It’s estimated that Russia has lost over 1,600
tanks during the conflict thus far. This has led them to dust off decades-old Soviet Era tanks,
which are even easier to destroy. Ukrainian forces have been using Javelins and other
anti-tank weapons provided by the West to decimate Russian tank numbers. However,
Russian incompetence has also led to hundreds of tanks being abandoned due to mechanical problems,
running out of fuel, or just getting stuck. When this happens, Ukrainian forces are all too happy
to take the Russian tanks off their enemy's hands and repurpose them for their own use.
Ukraine has been reported to have lost just under 500 tanks. This stark contrast in tank
losses shows just how badly the first year of war in Ukraine is going for Russia. Recently,
the United States has pledged to send 31 M1 Abrams to Ukraine,
one of the most sophisticated tanks in the world, which will only result in more Russian losses.
The one aspect of the war where Russia seems to
have sustained fewer losses than Ukraine is in air and sea craft.
This is one of the reasons why Ukraine has been pleading with the West to send
more surface-to-air missiles and other anti-air defense systems. As it stands,
Ukraine has lost somewhere around 210 aircraft, while Russia has lost approximately 200. This
isn’t a huge difference, but the Russian airforce is much larger
than the Ukrainian airforce, meaning that the losses are likely felt much more by Ukraine.
However, if we count the number of drones that Ukraine has shot down,
the number of aircraft lost by Russia is closer to 600. So, it’s difficult to tell exactly who is
coming out ahead in this aspect of the war. Unfortunately, even though Ukraine has had
success with destroying Russia’s aerial vessels, both missiles and drones have
decimated the country’s infrastructure during the winter months of the war.
Also, it’s estimated that Russia has purchased somewhere around 1,700
Shahed-136 kamikaze drones from Iran, so the number of drone losses just from
flying them into targets is going to be high for Russia. That being said,
Ukraine has purchased 700 Switchblade kamikaze drones from the United States,
which means the number of drones they have lost, or will lose in the future, will be high as well.
On the seas, Ukraine has done a lot of damage to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. They have even
managed to sink the Russian flagship Moskva, a guided missile cruiser operating off the coast
of Snake Island. Ukraine has destroyed at least 5 Raptor class patrol boats,
a number of landing ships, and corvettes as well. In total Ukrainian forces have
managed to damage or sink at least 12 ships in the Black Sea Fleet.
Conversely, Russia has destroyed around 30 Ukrainian boats. However,
it’s important to note that many of these vessels were regular ships converted for wartime purposes,
along with several unmanned surface vessels. So, although Russia has destroyed more Ukrainian
vessels overall, the types of vessels are very different. What this means is that, overall,
Ukraine has caused a lot more disruption to the Russian Navy than vice versa.
This brings us to another huge number. War is expensive, and both sides have
spent massive amounts of money to purchase weapons, munitions, and in Russia’s case,
pay mercenaries. So, how much money has been lost in terms of vehicles, ammo, and men in the war?
Some estimates put the money lost due to destroyed equipment around 18 billion dollars for Russia
alone. This is an astounding number. But the equipment lost is from all walks of
life. Russia is using everything from Cold War technology to modern weapons. However,
18 billion dollars in equipment losses in just 12 months really
puts things into perspective on how expensive the war has become.
Ukraine has lost a lot of equipment of its own, but they are definitely receiving more outside
aid than Russia. The United States has sent more money to Ukraine over the last year than any other
nation. The Biden Administration alone has sent just under 25 billion dollars. But even before the
war began, the U.S. was sending aid to Ukraine so it could protect itself from the exact situation
that is happening today. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough and obviously came a little too late.
Around 48% of U.S. aid sent to Ukraine has been for military purposes, such as purchasing
equipment and weapons. Almost 10 billion dollars has gone into training and weapon logistics,
while another 15 billion has been sent as economic support. 10 billion dollars
has also been sent for humanitarian aid, which is not nearly enough to
support the countless people who have lost everything as a result of the war.
And speaking of money, Russia’s economy is reaching a tipping point as the first
year of the war comes to and end. Russia was able to sustain itself during the beginning
of the war even as crushing sanctions caused supply and cash flow issues. Its ability to
continue selling oil and other fossil fuels to countries like China, India, and much of Europe,
meant it could still fund its war effort. As we pass the one-year anniversary of the war,
it appears that cash reserves are running low.
It’s unclear how much longer Russia will be able to continue funding its wartime
operations. Although there is a lot of economic data to look at,
Russia’s GDP had dropped by about 4% over the past year,
and it seems as if this decline will continue and become much worse in the months to come.
But even though Ukraine’s economy is also in turmoil, they have a lot more
support than Russia does. When we look at the number of nations that support
each side of the war a year in, things have shifted slightly. When the invasion started,
NATO nations were hesitant to be too vocal about backing Ukraine. Sure,
they condemned the invasion and eventually placed economic sanctions on Russia, but when it wasn’t
clear that Ukraine would be able to stop the invasion, many countries were afraid of Russia.
They thought if Putin could claim Ukraine, there was a chance he wouldn’t stop his expansion there.
Certain countries around the world and in Europe remained silent as the
massacre of Ukrainian people commenced in the early weeks of the war. However,
once the tides shifted and it was clear Ukraine would not only stop the invasion but would have
a good shot of winning the war, more nations came out of the woodwork to support Ukraine.
After one year of fighting, 40 countries openly support Ukraine. Members of the EU,
G7, and NATO all support Ukraine, and many have sent aid in one form or another. Australia,
South Korea, Taiwan, and India have also made it clear that they are behind Ukraine. Russia has
much less support. There are only 8 countries that openly support Russia and its invasion of Ukraine.
They are Belarus, North Korea, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Syria, Myanmar, and Eritrea. Although,
these supporters are becoming less and less vocal as it looks like Russia may actually lose the war.
It’s important to note that even countries who vocally speak out against Russia in this war are
still fueling the war machine through trade. The world is a global economy,
and Russia provides a lot of different nations with resources such as fossil
fuels. Just because its President launched a war and his troops are committing war crimes
doesn’t mean that every nation will cut its ties with Russia. As terrible as it is, certain
nations still need Russia and its resources to provide energy and food to their own citizens.
But what about all of the people trying to get away from the war? One year after Russia's
invasion, one of the most shocking statistics is just how many refugees this war has created.
Obviously, there are a lot more Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war than Russian refugees. But the sad
truth is both countries are experiencing a mass exodus of people. Ukrainians are leaving their
country because they have no choice. War has left millions without power, running water,
or food. The chances of dying from a rogue missile or kamikaze drone are high. And at
the beginning of the war, there was a very real possibility that if you were a Ukrainian
citizen in a Russian-occupied town, you could be shipped back to Russia to work in labor camps,
forced to aid the enemy, or brutally tortured and killed.
Therefore, it’s no surprise that many Ukrainians fled their country and sought asylum in
neighboring nations. Over 17.9 million Ukrainian refugees have crossed nearby borders to escape
the war. Poland now contains the most Ukrainian refugees out of any other country in the region,
with close to 9.2 million Ukrainians crossing its border alone. Hungary,
Slovenia, and Romania are also housing large populations of refugees as well.
No single country is equipped to take in millions of people during a time of war,
so many refugees are being sent to other European countries to wait for the end
of the conflict. Unfortunately, we have no idea how long that will be. It's been a year,
and there seems to be no end in sight. Ukraine is closer to pushing Russia out
of their territory now than at any other point during the war, but the fight for
southern Ukraine and the Crimea Peninsula is sure to be a bloody and drawn-out one.
But Ukraine is not the only country that people are fleeing from because of the conflict. Russian
citizens are crossing borders to get away from Vladamir Putin and his deadly war as well. It’s
estimated that around 700,000 Russians have fled their country for various reasons since the war
started. Some people wanted to get out because they disagreed with the war and the way Putin was
running the nation. Others left for countries that could provide jobs and opportunities as
Russia’s entire economy and industry has been converted into a wartime enterprise.
Young men have left their homes for foreign countries to escape being conscripted into
the military. At this point, being a conscript is about the same as a death
sentence. They are being sent to the front lines with minimal training and no combat
experience. These men are handed guns and told to die for their country. However,
many don’t feel very patriotic anymore and would rather take their chances as refugees.
Many Russians are fleeing to Kazakhstan, Serbia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates,
Georgia, and Finland. They aren’t always welcomed with open arms,
but if they are sent back to Russia, it’s more likely than not they will either be
sent to the front lines or thrown in jail for a very, very long time.
Numbers don’t lie. And the statistics coming out of Ukraine and Russia highly suggest that
Ukraine is winning the war. This is not the story that the Russian people are being told,
and since Putin controls the media and all information disseminated in the country,
Russians don’t have access to the data the free world does. One year after Russia invaded Ukraine,
things have not gone well for the aggressor. Russia has lost more men,
equipment, and money than Ukraine while it has less aid, support, and friends than Ukraine.
The war is likely to continue for at least several more months after
the one-year anniversary of the invasion. If Ukraine launches a successful offensive into
the Khersan Oblast and takes Crimea, the war will be all but lost for Putin. In the coming months,
we will need to keep an eye on the number of soldiers each side loses. The number of
vehicles and aircraft lost will also help measure which side has an advantage when
the Spring Offensives are launched. The tragic part is that as the war continues,
the number of civilian casualties and refugees will only continue to increase. We can only hope
that we won’t need to make another one of these videos on the two-year anniversary of the war.
Now watch “Why Russia is Running out of Tanks
(War in Ukraine).” Or check out “What if Ukraine Wins the War.”