A year of fighting has raged in the Russo-Ukrainian War

Ethan Ko, Eastside Staff|April 10, 2023

Russias+war+in+Ukraine+has+become+an+elongated+conflict+of+attrition+over+a+year+into+the+invasion.

Courtesy of Genya Savilov/AFP

Russia’s war in Ukraine has become an elongated conflict of attrition over a year into the invasion.

While Russo-Ukrainian conflicts have been ongoing since 2014, it’s been over a year since Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 22, 2022. Yet, while many political, economical, and military changes have occurred during the conflict, the future of both countries still remains uncertain.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has drawn extensive reactions and sanctions from all over the world, although Russia has managed to sustain their aggression nonetheless. (Courtesy of Statista)

The first responses of the war included condemnations against Russia from many governments and organizations, most notably from NATO and the UN. While the political atmosphere may initially appear to be overwhelming support for Ukraine, many countries such as Turkey and China continue to take a limited stance on the issue, providing a critical economic outlet for Russia.

In the first few months, direct supplies to Ukraine were less common, with economic sanctions being raised in the first few months of the conflict. Nearly 1,000 corporations and companies removed services to Russia, and trade sanctions have cost nearly 300 billion dollars worth on the Russian war effort. While the inflation of the ruble reached its worst in March, as of 2023 it seems to have recovered significantly. Now, aid to Ukraine from countries such as the United States and NATO constituents has been increasing, and anti-tank weapons, tanks, jets, howitzers, and rockets make up frequent military supplies being sent to the front. The social impact on Russia was widespread too, with protests (even in Russia itself) arising from the conflict, as well as army defections from the Russian army. 

While Russia has long lost its northern Ukrainian territorial gains, a stagnating Eastern front persists to this day, and US military officials predict an upcoming stalemate. Conclusions persist that Putin is preparing for a lengthy, drawn out war. Aces and heroes such as the “Ghost of Kyiv” have both risen and fallen, and while public media covered the war initially, intense coverage has by and large faded. Nevertheless, the war is still the subject of major newslines, and the topic was accordingly one of the primary topics in Biden’s state of the Union address. With an estimated 240,000 casualties (both civilian and military) generated by the war, continuing economic sanctions, and a stagnating front, a future determination of the war is, as of yet, unclear.