Ukraine and the War: The Balance of 1000 Days of Fighting

Ukrainian losses since the start of the war:

The UN human rights delegation counted 11,743 civilian deaths by the end of August. Accordingly, 24,614 others were injured. However, both the UN and Ukrainian authorities suspect that the actual numbers are much higher. Counting the victims is particularly difficult in areas that fell to the Russians. This applies, for example, to the heavily destroyed city of Mariupol.

Although civilians suffer significantly, soldiers make up the majority of the dead. It is the deadliest war between two modern armies since the end of World War II. Many thousands of soldiers died in the trenches, during assaults and under artillery fire. Ukraine, which has only about a third of the population of Russia, has been hit particularly hard. In general, both sides do not talk about their losses here. In February, however, Ukrainian President Volodymyr spoke of 31,000 army members killed. However, he said nothing about the missing and injured.

The estimates provided by Western secret services sometimes vary widely. But most assume there will be hundreds of thousands of dead and injured on both sides. It is assumed that Russia suffered higher losses due to the nature of its warfare. On some days the country recorded more than 1,000 dead soldiers.

Apart from the direct number of victims, the war also has an indirect impact: Mortality in the country has increased for various reasons and the birth rate has fallen by a third. Six million Ukrainians have fled abroad, and another four million internally displaced people live within the country.

Russia has now taken control and annexed a fifth of Ukraine, an area the size of Greece. Most cities were severely destroyed. This includes Mariupol, which had around half a million inhabitants before the war. However, Ukraine has also conquered a strip of Russia in the Kursk region.

The country’s economic output fell by around a third in 2022. Although it has somewhat recovered thanks to Western help, according to Ukrainian information it is still only around 78 percent of its pre-war level.

According to an estimate by the World Bank, which only extends until the end of 2023, the direct war damage alone amounted to over 150 billion dollars. The cost of completely rebuilding the country and the economy was estimated at the time at almost $500 billion. The energy sector, which is the focus of Russian air strikes, is particularly badly affected.

The country has also suffered as one of the largest grain exporters in the world. However, it has now found ways to transport large parts of the harvest out of the country via new routes. Most government revenue goes to defense. According to parliamentary figures, it costs the country $140 million every day.