The war between Russia and Ukraine is entering its 10th month and will force military forces from both sides to spend their first Christmas season in conflict this coming holiday amid a rising death toll and increasing cost of damages to both parties.
Despite the timeline of the conflict, the end of the war remains unclear as Russia continues to mount pressure on Ukraine by attacking the latter's energy infrastructure. However, this comes as Ukrainian forces enjoyed three months of relative success against their invaders as they continue to regain lost territories.
Death Toll in Russia-Ukraine War
One of the most horrific facts about the conflict between the nations is the death toll, which the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) verified at 6,826 civilians as of Dec. 18, 2022. Out of these fatalities, 428 were children and the agency reported that 10,769 people were injured amid the war.
However, the OHCHR said that the real number of deaths could be higher and is difficult to verify due to various factors. While the figures on soldier deaths are reported by either Russia or Ukraine's government authorities, the numbers could not be verified and must be taken with caution, as per Statista.
The war also comes after Russia 2014 annexed Crimea, which is a part of Ukraine that has seen a military conflict between the government and Russia-supported separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. With that conflict, the OHCHR estimated that there were anywhere between 14,200 and 14,400 people, including civilians and military troops, who were killed from Apr. 14, 2014, to Dec. 31, 2021.
While projecting the outcome of the war is difficult, some major ramifications for Russia and its relations with Ukraine, Europe, and the United States have come into the spotlight. The conflict has been considered a tragedy for Kyiv and its people but it has also proven to be a disaster for Moscow.
According to Brookings, the conflict between the two European nations has caused military, economical, and geopolitical issues for Russia. The war has badly damaged Moscow's military and tarnished its reputation, disrupted its economy, and severely altered the geopolitical picture facing Russia in Europe.
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The Conflict's Latest Developments
The situation will make any near-term restoration of a degree of normalcy in U.S.-Russian relations extremely difficult, if not impossible, to achieve. The war began when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to launch a major, multi-prong invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian strongman masqueraded his invasion of Kyiv as a "special operation" but as the battle laid out, Putin's desire seems to have been revealed as deposing the Ukrainian government and occupying as much of the eastern half to two-thirds of the country.
Furthermore, Russia previously refused global officials' request for a Christmas ceasefire in its war against Ukraine as President Volodymyr Zelensky was set to visit Washington on Wednesday.
Nearly 1,000 U.S. faith leaders who represent a broad range of faiths, released a statement where they said that they hoped a temporary truce could lead to the negotiation of permanent peace between Russia and Ukraine, the Washington Post reported.
