This week marks 1,000 days of war in Ukraine. The i Paper has the stories you need to read to understand how we got here, what happens next – and what you can do.
Modern war evolves | Fears over Trump-Putin deal | How you can help Ukraine | Ways Europe could step up | Will Putin ever stop?
On 24 February 2022, the world awoke to the news that Russian tanks had rolled into Ukraine as part of a full-scale invasion. In the 1,000 days since, the front line between Russia and Ukraine has seen significant transformation.
The front line shifted as Russian forces captured swathes of Ukrainian territory, including regions in the east and south.
Ukrainian counteroffensives reclaimed some of these areas, but more recently Russian forces have continued to make gains in the eastern region of Donetsk, advancing along several fronts towards the city of Pokrovsk, a lynchpin of the wider area’s defence.
The front line now features contested zones and widespread destruction, reflecting ongoing hostilities. Hundreds of thousands of people on both sides of the conflict have been killed or wounded with millions of Ukrainians forced to flee their homes.
But there is no clear sign of an end to the fighting, with Vladimir Putin poised to hurl more than 10,000 North Korean troops onto the frontline in response to a counter-offensive from Ukraine in the Kursk region.
Ukrainians fear that large attacks by Moscow are intended to devastate Ukraine’s power generation capacity ahead of the cold winter.
On Sunday, Russia launched around 120 missiles and 90 drones during a “massive combined strike on all regions of Ukraine” in what has been described as one of the largest air attacks on the country in months.
How many casualties have there been?
Accurate figures on the numbers of troops killed or wounded are complicated to confirm, as Ukraine and Russia are reluctant to disclose casualty statistics.
But the number of Ukrainians and Russians killed or wounded in the war is believed to be more than a million.
One US military assessment last month put Russian casualties so far during the war as high as 615,000, with 115,000 killed and 500,000 wounded.
Ukrainian casualties were estimated at more than 57,500 killed and 250,000 wounded.
As of 31 August, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine had verified that conflict-related violence had killed 11,743 civilians and injured 24,614 in Ukraine since 24 February 2022.
According to Unicef, 659 children have been killed and 1,747 injured since the beginning of Russia’s full scale-invasion.
UK military intelligence have said September was the deadliest month for the Russians since the start of the war in Ukraine, with an average of more than 1,200 a day.
Russia is currently suffering almost 2,000 casualties each day as its troops aim to recapture the Kursk region and seize frontline ground in eastern Ukraine, according to Kyiv’s military.
Since August, approximately 170,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in Eastern Ukraine, adding to the nearly four million who remain displaced within Ukraine and 6.7 million more who have ought refuge outside the country. according to the UN.
How many weapons have been provided?
At the end of July, Ukraine received its first batch of F-16 fighter jets from the West, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believes many more are required than the roughly 65 that Nato countries have pledged.
In March, 2023, Ukraine received its first tanks from Western countries, with the UK providing 14 Challenger 2s and other European nations 104 Leopard 2 tanks.
The US delivered 31 M1 Abrams tanks last year, thought to be the most sophisticated battle tank in the world, although they were withdraw in April to avoid the growing threat from Russian drones.
At the start of the war, UK and US shipments of NLAW and Javelin anti-tank missiles were seen as crucial in helping Ukraine stem Russian advances towards Kyv.
Long-range Storm Shadow missiles, which can hit targets more than 150 miles away, have also been sent by the UK and France.
Their use inside Russian territory has been blocked by Joe Biden, but the US President’s belated decision to lift restrictions on Ukraine using long-range missiles has raised fresh questions over their use.
The first strikes deep into Russian territory are likely to be carried out using American ATACMS rockets, which have a range of up to 190 miles.
There have also been more than 620 artillery guns, 82 missile systems- including Himars and the M270 multiple launch rocket system – sent by European allies.
The UK has supplied the anti-aircraft system Starstreak, a portable or vehicle-mounted missile capable of taking enemy jets and helicopters.
London is also supplying 650 short-range Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM), which are effective at intercepting drones.
In addition, Washington has supplied the US Patriot, the best and most expensive air defence systems in Ukraine’s arsenal, but each battery costs around $1 billion (£800 million).
Patriots can reach targets from 100 miles away and engaging ballistic or cruise missiles, but military experts say Ukraine needs more air defence systems, with Kyiv hit by with a missile and drone attack for the first time since August this week.
Russia has started firing decoy drones without warheads to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defences.
What does Trump’s re-election mean for the conflict?
The election of Donald Trump for a second term in office has sparked fears in Ukraine that the president-elect will seek a peace deal that favours Russia.
Washington has been by far the biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine, with the return of Trump, who has touted his close relationship with Vladimir Putin and vowed to end the war in 24 hours, causing concern in Kyiv that the US will adopt a more hostile approach to Ukraine.
Following his election victory last week, Trump spoke to Putin and advised him not to escalate the war, according to The Washington Post.
The president-elect expressed an interest in follow-up conversations to discuss “the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon,” it is claimed.
During the election campaign, Trump complained about billions of dollars in military aid being sent to Ukraine, and said of Ukraine’s President: “Every time Zelensky comes to the United States he walks away with $100 billion. I think he’s the greatest salesman on Earth.”
In front of an ashen-faced Zelensky, Trump also claimed “it takes two to tango” while trumpeting his good relations with Putin.
Trump’s new Cabinet has given some hope of a more sympathetic stance towards Ukraine, with Marco Rubio, previously a vocal supporter of Ukraine, named Secretary of State.
But in April, the Florida senator was among a small group of Republicans that voted against a $95 billion aid package to help Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel.
Mike Waltz, confirmed as Trump’s new national security adviser, also voted against the package, with both claiming the US hasn’t spent enough on the US-Mexico border.
Speaking to i this month, John Lough, an associate fellow for the Russia and Eurasia programme at Chatham House, said Trump was unlikely to want a deal that made him appear weak to countries like China.
“To keep up the image of the strong man, he would have to force the Russians to give up something,” he said.
How has fighting escalated on the front line?
Territorial losses for Ukraine have accelerated in recent months as larger and better equipped Russian forces advance in key sectors of the frontline in the east, scene of some of the fiercest battles since Moscow invaded in 2022.
The escalating fighting along a more than 620-mile front line is stretching Ukraine’s already outnumbered troops at a critical moment amid fears Putin will try to seize s much land as possible to strengthen his bargaining hand ahead of any peace negotiations.
Ukraine’s top military commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said last week that Ukraine faced increasing difficulty as Russian forces advance and North Korean troops prepare to join the Kremlin’s campaign.
Military bloggers say Russian forces tried to surround the city of Kurakhove, a major town on the eastern front, part of their drive to capture all of the Donbas region.
By securing Kurakhove, Russian forces could be preparing to renew their offensive on the major logistical hub of Pokrovsk, an important transport hub and mining city about 37 miles to the north-west of the regional capital, Donetsk.
Russia captured the city of Avdiivka in February, and has continued to advance in Donetsk capturing the key city of Vuhledar in October.
Meanwhile, Zelensky has said 11,000 North Korean soldiers have arrived in Russia, most massed in the southern Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces staged a large incursion in August.
Ukraine said last Monday its military was battling 50,000 troops in Russia’s Kursk region to its north, while also scrambling to reinforce two besieged fronts in the east and bracing to meet an infantry assault in the south.
This week marks 1,000 days of war in Ukraine. The i Paper has the stories you need to read to understand how we got here, what happens next – and what you can do.
How weapons have changed since Russia invaded Ukraine – and what’s coming next. From devastating anti-tank weapons to autonomous drones, the Ukraine conflict has transformed the way wars are fought. But it is also serving as a sobering warning to the West that it must prepare to fight in radically different ways. Click here to read
How a Trump-Putin peace deal is sparking fear in Kyiv. Senior Kyiv official concedes that the president-elect could force a harsh deal to end the war as a third of Ukrainians would now accept giving up land to Russia for peace. Click here to read
The seven ways Europe could step up to help Zelensky. Europe is facing growing questions over how far it can – and will – go to help Ukraine fight back. Click here to read
How to help Ukraine, from where to donate to hosting a refugee. Organisations continue to support Ukrainians – both in Ukraine and in the UK. Click here to read
Putin will never stop. Because he cannot. Putin won’t stop – the West cannot ditch Ukraine now. Click here to read
