Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine has now lasted as long as the Soviet Union’s entire campaign in World War II yet the results have been dramatically different. While Stalin’s Red Army pushed all the way to Berlin and helped defeat Nazi Germany, Putin has struggled to gain even minor towns in eastern Ukraine after 1,418 days of conflict.
In 2026, the Russian president has been largely absent from public life, appearing only briefly at a church service. Observers believe he is staying mostly inside his Valdai bunker. Meanwhile, Russian forces continue to launch drones, missiles, and bombs across Ukraine, including the nuclear-capable hypersonic Oreshnik weapon, which recently struck near Lviv.
Despite this relentless bombardment, Russia’s military long promoted as one of the strongest in the world has captured barely 1% of Ukrainian territory over the past year. Estimates suggest more than a million Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in the fighting. One senior officer reportedly questioned privately: “What have we got to show for this war? The longer it goes on, the clearer our failures become. What are we even fighting for?” Another lamented that the army “has laid waste to eastern Ukraine, mainly the homes of our Russian-speaking cousins, and for what?”
In Russia, World War II often called the ‘Great Patriotic War’ is a source of immense pride. Ukrainian forces were a key part of that victory, but today Telegram channels like Nexta Live mock Putin’s campaign, noting that his “three-day plan” for Kyiv has turned into nearly four years of grinding conflict, with thousands of Russian soldiers already dead. Veteran journalist Andrey Kalinin observed that while Moscow aimed to repeat the triumph of World War II, it has only managed to replicate the timeline, not the outcome.
Putin is also facing diplomatic setbacks. Key allies like Iran, once suppliers of lethal drones, are reconsidering their support, while NATO continues to strengthen its position against Russia. Many former Soviet states are distancing themselves, leaving Belarus as one of the few remaining Moscow-friendly regimes, though even it is making gestures toward Washington.
On the ground, Russian attacks continue to devastate Ukraine. Kyiv endured strikes during temperatures as low as −15°C, leaving residents without heat or electricity. In Zhytomyr, emergency workers were injured during assaults on energy facilities, while shelling in Donetsk killed three people and wounded nine. Ukraine also struck back with a deadly attack in Voronezh, where a deflected Russian drone hit a high-end residential building, killing at least one woman.
After nearly four years of conflict, Putin’s war has been marked by heavy losses, minimal territorial gains, and growing global criticism, leaving the Russian leader increasingly isolated on the world stage.
Comments
Post a Comment