Explaining complex things in simple words: Two years of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine

MARKING TWO YEARS OF RUSSIA'S FULL-SCALE INVASION OF UKRAINE

● On February 24, 2022, the Kremlin showed its true colours as opposed to the mask of a “peacekeeper,” which it had been using since 2014, talking about the “internal conflict” and the “civil war” in Ukraine.

● From the very beginning, Russia did not intend to implement the Minsk agreements. Simultaneously with the negotiations in the Normandy Format, Moscow was systematically planning a full-scale invasion.

● Russia has become the first country to wage a full-scale aggressive war in Europe in the 21st century.

● Putin's goal is not some territories, but genocide, the destruction of Ukrainian statehood, and the total Russification of Ukrainians. Everything else is propaganda rhetoric aimed at disinformation.

● The aggressor challenged the system of international relations and security, the world based on international law. Russia seeks to destroy democratic alliances for the sake of its own despotic domination.

● Two years ago, Russian troops invaded Ukraine simultaneously from 9 different directions in the north, east, and south. In total, at least 220,000 Russian troops were involved in the invasion.

● Most countries of the world did not believe that Ukraine would survive, giving the Armed Forces a maximum of several days. Some countries even dreamed that Ukraine would fall.

● Thanks to the heroism of warriors and the resilience of society, Ukraine withstood the hardest first weeks of full-scale aggression. Enemy blitzkrieg plans were thwarted.

● Over these two years, Ukraine has achieved a number of significant victories: the expulsion of the occupiers from the north, a counter-offensive in the Slobozhanskyi direction, the liberation of Kherson and the right-bank part of the region. In general, the defence forces of Ukraine liberated more than 50% of the territory occupied after February 24, 2022.

● The defence forces expand control over the sea and methodically destroy the enemy fleet. The war is moving into Russian territory. Russian aviation suffers losses both in the sky and at its airfields.

● The total enemy losses in manpower exceeded 400,000. The occupiers lost more than 6,000 tanks, 12,000 armoured vehicles, almost 10,000 artillery systems, a thousand MLRS, more than 600 air defence systems, almost 700 aircraft and helicopters, 25 ships and boats, 1 submarine.

● After two years of the full-scale war with Russia, the Ukrainian army is the most experienced in Europe, and the only one that has experience of war with the Russian Armed Forces.

● Ukraine is grateful to the international coalition, which has been making a crucial contribution to supporting Ukrainian combat capability for two years.

● Russia is determined to wage a long war of attrition, attracting support from some other authoritarian, aggressive regimes. Democratic states must constantly increase their effectiveness to prevent Ukraine from losing in the long term.

● This war will end either with the defeat of Putinism or the collapse of the existing system of international relations and security. There is no middle ground. 

Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security