published3. June 2022, 06:48
Today is exactly 100 days since Russia attacked Ukraine. What has Vladimir Putin achieved so far? What losses did Moscow suffer?
The West responded to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with severe sanctions. But peace is nowhere in sight.
AFP
The “special military operation”, as Vladimir Putin calls the war, has left damage and destruction in eastern Ukraine.
AFP
100 days have passed since February 24th. On that day, Russia began the invasion of Ukraine ordered by Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin boss sees the conflict as a war with the West to save the “Russian world”. He has achieved the opposite – the Russian-speaking population in Ukraine is turning away from its big neighbor. In addition, an unprecedented spate of sanctions from the West has thrown the Russian economy into turmoil. A review of the course of the war.
civilian casualties
According to UN estimates, at least 4,149 civilians have been killed and 4,945 injured in Ukraine since the start of the war. However, according to the Ukrainian government, the number of victims is much higher: Kyiv reports 24,356 civilians killed and 14,000 people missing.
One in six people has been internally displaced as a result of the war, bringing the total to 7.7 million, the United Nations International Organization for Migration said. According to the UN refugee agency, more than 6.8 million people have fled to other countries.
Fallen Fighters
There are also major discrepancies in the numbers when it comes to the fallen soldiers: the West reports between 5,500 and 11,000 Ukrainian fighters killed, while Russia claims 23,000.
The figures for the fallen Russians differ even further: Moscow states 1,351 fatalities in its own ranks, the Ukrainian government says there are 29,200.
Dizzying amounts of arms shipped
Since the war began, the US has provided over $4.5 billion in military aid to Ukraine. Just this week, Washington announced a new $700 million weapons package. Britain provided 450 million pounds (542 million Swiss francs) in military aid to Kyiv, including 120 armored vehicles, over 5,800 anti-tank missiles, five anti-aircraft systems, over 1,000 missiles and 4.5 tons of explosives.
Germany follows closely behind: Bonn has so far promised Ukraine weapons – from surface-to-air missiles and ammunition to 30 Cheetah anti-aircraft tanks – worth at least 191.9 million euros (197 million Swiss francs). France also sent weapons worth at least 100 million euros (103 million francs).
In addition, Ukraine received arms shipments from Canada, Belgium, the Nordic countries, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, the Baltic States, Poland, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Turkey. Coming up with a total is difficult because some governments keep their military aid secret. But the known sums alone result in a staggering total of around seven billion francs.
Who turned away from Putin?
An important resignation: Kremlin adviser Valentin Yumashev turned his back on Putin.
Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0
The Kremlin adviser is one of the most prominent resignations in the circle of Russian President Vladimir Putin since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict. Yumashev is the son-in-law of former Russian President Boris Yeltsin and headed his administration in 1997 when Putin, then a KGB spy, rose to power in the Kremlin.
After his wife supported anti-war activists, Anatoli Chubais fled to Turkey with her.
Wikipedia / CC BY 4.0
The 66-year-old turned his back on Russia in March. He reportedly fled to Turkey with his wife. Chubais himself did not explain his decision, but shortly before his resignation his wife, the screenwriter Avdotya Smirnova, signed an open letter from Russian activists against the war.
Kremlin adviser Arkady Dvorkovich announced his resignation in March.
Wikipedia / CC BY 4.0
Former Kremlin adviser Arkady Dvorkovich also left his post at a respected Russian foundation in March. He had previously criticized the Ukraine war.
Boris Bondarev announced his resignation before the United Nations.
Facebook/Boris Bondarew
There was a bang when Boris Bondarev announced his resignation at the United Nations in May. In a statement, the Russian UN diplomat settled accounts with the government in Moscow. Although he has experienced various twists and turns in Russian foreign policy in the 20 years of his diplomatic career, he has never been so ashamed of his country, the 41-year-old wrote.
In mid-March, three prominent journalists also resigned from the state television news service. Channel One’s Europe Correspondent, Zhanna Agalakovaannounced as well as two senior journalists from NTV. Lilia Gildejewa had worked as a presenter for the channel since 2006, and Vadim Glusker has been with NTV for almost 30 years.
Where does Russia stand with the war?
As of Thursday, 20 percent of Ukraine is under the control of Russian troops. Almost 125,000 square kilometers have been wrested from Ukrainian control, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy admitted.
On the other hand, Russia is pretty much alone: the West has largely isolated the country on the international stage. The West is only a part of the world, they say mockingly from Moscow. And as a veto power in the UN Security Council, Russia still sees itself on the world stage.
But then there are the economic consequences of the conflict: there are now 10,000 sanctions against the Russian government. However, the Kremlin points to its important allies China and India.
How is Putin perceived by his people?
In May, according to the Levada Analytical Center, a Russian non-governmental research organization, about 83 percent of Russians the actions of President Vladimir Putin. Its popularity had soared in the months leading up to hostilities, and then soared to this high level in the face of Western sanctions, Russian repression of freedom of expression, and rising food prices.
How is Vladimir Putin perceived: Around 83 percent of Russians approved of his actions in May.
Quelle Levada Analytical Center
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