On February 24th, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, marking the beginning of a war that is now officially four years in progress. However, this conflict had unofficially begun in 2014, after Viktor Yanukovych, the Ukrainian President of the time, failed to sign a European Union Association Agreement which led to violent Euromaidan protests. Later that year, Russia seized the Crimean Autonomous Assembly and has since maintained control of Crimea along with parts of Donetsk and Luhansk.
After years of Crimean control without relent or submission from the country as a whole, Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine. This resulted in great losses for Ukraine, with up to 300,000 military casualties. However, Russia’s seemingly imminent win is not as inevitable as it seems.
The relentless war on Ukraine has led to 1.2 million Russian force casualties as troops only advance up to 70 meters daily. While 12% of Ukraine had been seized since 2022, Russia has yet to conquer the smaller power.
Along with what seems to be militaristic shortcomings, Russia is experiencing economic decline. In just 2025, Russia experienced economic growth slow by 0.6%, while the International Monetary Fund estimates the economic stagnancy to increase to 0.8% in 2026. Russia has also begun to, “fall behind in emerging technology,” according to CSIS, which also quotes, “There is little chance that Russia will reintegrate into global trade and the financial system in the near term.”
Both countries have experienced egregious civilian and militaristic casualties and fatalities since 2022. “No major power has suffered anywhere near these numbers of casualties or fatalities in any war since World War II,” says Jones and McCabe, writers for CSIS. However, Ukraine has pushed back and played impressive offense in the face of the Russian power. As the Russian economy declines and military depletes, Ukraine continues to stand a fighting chance.
Sources
Walker, Nigel. “Conflict in Ukraine: A Timeline (2014 – Eve of 2022 Invasion).” House of Commons Library, 22 Aug. 2023, commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9476/.
Jones, Seth G, and Riley McCabe. “Russia’s Grinding War in Ukraine.” Csis.org, 2026, www.csis.org/analysis/russias-grinding-war-ukraine#h2-russian-military-and-economic-indicators.
Madeline Speights