Europe witnessed its largest conflict since the Second World War when Russia invaded Ukraine four years ago, inflicting immense suffering on civilians and grueling experiences for soldiers, while reshaping the post-Cold War security landscape.
As the conflict enters its fifth year on Tuesday, there are no indications of it coming to an end anytime soon.
The U.S. has facilitated discussions involving delegations from Moscow and Kyiv in an attempt to broker peace, as part of the Trump administration’s yearlong efforts. However, resolving critical differences, such as the fate of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory and postwar security arrangements for Ukraine, has hindered progress.
Simultaneously, thousands of troops from both nations have perished in combat, with Ukrainian civilians enduring harsh conditions due to Russian aerial bombardments that have resulted in prolonged power outages and water shortages.
Here is a breakdown of the conflict’s impact, in numbers, since the full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.
1.8 million
An estimate by the Center for Strategic and International Studies indicates the upper range of soldiers killed, wounded, or missing on both sides. According to the report, Russia has encountered 1.2 million casualties, including potentially 325,000 troop fatalities, between February 2022 and December 2025 — the highest number of troop deaths for any major power in a conflict since World War II.
Since January 2023, Russia has not disclosed battlefield death figures, except for confirming just over 6,000 military fatalities. The CSIS report suggests that Ukraine has suffered 500,000 to 600,000 military casualties, including a maximum of 140,000 deaths.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated earlier this month that 55,000 Ukrainian troops have lost their lives in the war, with many reported as missing. Neither Moscow nor Kyiv provides timely updates on military casualties, making independent verification unfeasible.
The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission has documented 14,999 civilian deaths in Ukraine since the full-scale invasion by Russia, though it suggests this number is likely an underestimate. Over the same period, more than 40,600 civilians were reported injured, with at least 763 children losing their lives, according to the UN.
Notably, 2025 marked the deadliest year for Ukrainian civilians since 2022, with 2,514 fatalities and 12,142 injuries recorded — a 31 per cent surge in civilian casualties compared to 2024.
19.4%
According to the Institute for the Study of War, Russia currently occupies approximately 19.4% of Ukrainian territory. Despite engaging in a protracted war of attrition over the past year, Moscow has only gained 0.79% of Ukraine’s land, underscoring the limited advancements made by Russian forces despite significant troop and equipment losses.
Prior to the all-out invasion, Russia controlled nearly seven per cent of Ukraine, including Crimea and parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where Moscow-backed separatists clashed with the Ukrainian military, as per Ukrainian officials and Western analysts.
13%
Last year witnessed a 13% decline in foreign military aid to Kyiv compared to the annual average between 2022 and 2024, as reported by Germany’s Kiel Institute. Following President Donald Trump halting the provision of American weapons funded by the U.S. to Ukraine over a year ago, European nations stepped up, boosting military assistance by 67% in 2025 compared to the previous period.
Conversely, foreign humanitarian and financial aid to Ukraine dropped by 5% last year compared to the average of the preceding three years, the institute noted.