New Delhi: Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana has said, ‘Only the dead have seen the end of war’. Former US President Herbert Clark Hoover has said, ‘Old men declare war, but it is youth that must fight and die’ (Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die). The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has completed one year today. The ferocity of this war can be well understood from the above two statements. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. He then said that Russia’s aim is not to occupy Ukraine but to its demilitarization. In response, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, had said, “If they attack, we will confront them, not show our backs.”
This war has been going on continuously for the last year, which does not seem to be ending at the moment. Neither Ukraine showed its back nor did Russia limit itself to its demilitarization. No one has won and no one has lost. The beautiful inhabited cities have been destroyed. Thousands of people have died. Crores have been displaced and are living as refugees in neighboring countries. If Ukraine has been destroyed in this war, then Russia has also suffered. The world economy is in shambles. In the last year, Russia has captured major cities and ports in Ukraine. At the same time, in retaliation, the army of Ukraine has re-occupied most of the areas. Western countries estimate that 1.80 lakh soldiers from Russia and 1 lakh from Ukraine would have either been killed or injured in this war. Ukraine has claimed 1,45,850 Russian soldiers were killed by February 23, 2023. However, he has never shared the death toll of his soldiers.
What did the Russian President say in his address to the country?
According to the figures of the United Nations, so far more than 8000 civilians have died in this war and more than 13000 have been injured. Among those who lost their lives, 60 percent were men and 40 percent were women. This war has also given rise to a huge refugee crisis. The UN has told that about 80 lakh people from Ukraine with a population of about 40 million have taken refuge in neighboring countries. Countries like Germany, Poland, and Moldova have opened their borders to Ukrainian refugees. According to a study by the Kyiv School of Economics, from 24 February 2022 to December 2022, Ukraine’s infrastructure worth $138 billion (Rs 11 lakh crore) has been destroyed by Russian attacks. More than 1.5 lakh residential buildings have become ruins due to Russian bombing and missile attacks in various cities of Ukraine.
Similarly, more than 3000 educational institutions have been damaged across the country. Many of these have been completely damaged, while some have been partially damaged. Around 1500 religious-cultural venues and thousands of sports venues have been damaged. The war has also destroyed the health infrastructure of Ukraine. More than 1100 hospitals in the country have been destroyed due to Russian attacks. Due to the Russia-Ukraine war, there has been a tremendous increase in the price of oil and gas at the global level. Many countries of the world are facing a food crisis, such as a shortage of wheat. The World Bank had said last year that the global GDP growth could be 3.2 percent in 2023, which has now been reduced to 2.9 percent. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has projected the global inflation rate for 2023 to be 6.6%.
Big catastrophe may come in Ukraine, Russia will deploy its most dangerous ‘devil’, Putin increases the world’s tension
When Putin started the war against Ukraine, he did not expect it to continue for so long. He felt that the Russian army would capture a large part of Ukraine in barely 1 to one and a half months. But, the intervention of western countries increased both the waiting and difficulties for Vladimir Putin. America, Britain, France, Germany, Turkey, Sweden, Lithuania, Latvia, and Norway have provided large quantities of weapons to Ukraine. On the basis of these weapons, the Ukrainian army has caused severe injury to Russia. Along with this, strict economic sanctions have been imposed on Russia. Vladimir Putin may not allow it to be revealed, but he has an assessment of the damage being done to Russia. Even though the scene of physical devastation is not visible in Russia, it is definitely facing economic devastation. Perhaps that is why Vladimir Putin has agreed to negotiate a ceasefire with Ukraine several times in the past, but Ukraine is now adamant that it will not engage in talks until the Russian army leaves its territory.
