Tens of thousands of victims, suffering and economic chaos

Ukraine has lost control of 22 percent of its territory to Russia since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, according to Reuters estimates. It has lost much of its coastline, its economy has been devastated, and some cities have been razed to the ground by Russian shelling.

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Extracting victims from the ruins of the cultural center in Chugujevo, Kharkiv region, Photo: Reuters
Extracting victims from the ruins of the cultural center in Chugujevo, Kharkiv region, Photo: Reuters
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced millions and caused an economic crisis around the world.

VICTIMS

As of February 24, it was recorded that 5.237 civilians were killed and 7.035 injured, although the actual number of victims is much higher, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights announced on July 25. Most of those killed or injured were victims of explosive weapons such as artillery, rockets and airstrikes, the OHCHR said.

Neither Russia nor Ukraine have released details on military casualties from the conflict. American officials estimate that the number of Russian war victims is in the tens of thousands.

"We have been informed that more than 75.000 Russians have been killed or injured, which is a huge number," House Democrat Elisa Slotkin, who previously attended a secret US government briefing, told CNN.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the figure as "false", claiming that it was media reports and not US government data, "The Guardian" reported.

According to official Kremlin data, the number of Russian military casualties still stands at 1351.

The CIA recently estimated that 15.000 people died on the Russian side.

The losses of the Ukrainian side are not clear either. The adviser to the president, Oleksij Arestović, stated at the beginning of June that the losses amount to "up to 10.000".

CIA Director William Burns said this month that Ukraine's military losses were also high, but probably slightly lower than Russia's.

The head of Britain's MI6 intelligence service, Richard Moore, said he believed the Russian invasion would begin to lose momentum in the coming weeks as its troops were significantly reduced.

The conflict in eastern Ukraine began in 2014 after Ukraine's Maidan revolution overthrew a pro-Russian president and Russia annexed Crimea, with pro-Russian forces fighting the Ukrainian army. The conflict killed 14.000 people between 2014 and 2022, according to OHCHR, including 3.106 civilians.

SUFFERING

As of February 24, a third of the citizens of Ukraine, which has a population of more than 41 million, have been forced to flee their homes, the largest current displacement crisis in the world, according to the UN refugee agency. Currently, more than 6,16 million refugees from Ukraine are recorded across Europe, with the largest numbers in Poland, Russia and Germany, according to the agency.

Ukraine
photo: Reuters

UKRAINE

In addition to human casualties, Ukraine has lost control of 22 percent of its territory to Russia since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, according to Reuters estimates. It lost much of its coastline, its economy was devastated, and some cities were razed to the ground by Russian shelling. According to data from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, Ukraine's economy will suffer a 45 percent decline in 2022.

The exact extent of damage suffered by Ukraine is not clear. Prime Minister Denis Schmihal said this month that the total cost of post-war reconstruction would be approximately $750 billion. They could amount to much more.

It is not known how much Ukraine spent on warfare.

A residential area in Torecko, Donetsk region, after the attack by the Russian army
A residential area in Torecko, Donetsk region, after the attack by the Russian army photo: Reuters

RUSSIA

The war also cost Russia a lot, although it does not provide information on the costs, which are a state secret.

In addition to military spending, the West is trying to punish Russia with harsh sanctions - the biggest shock to the Russian economy since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Russia's central bank now predicts the $1,8 trillion economy will experience a contraction of four to six percent in 2022, less than the 8 to 10 percent decline forecast in April, Reuters writes.

However, the impact on the Russian economy is fierce and not yet fully clear. It is cut off from Western financial markets, most of its oligarchs are under sanctions, and it faces problems sourcing some items, such as microchips.

Last month, Russia defaulted on foreign debt for the first time since the disastrous months after the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.

PRICES

The Western invasion and sanctions against Russia have led to a large increase in the prices of fertilizers, grains, metals and energy, contributing to the food crisis and the inflationary wave affecting the global economy.

Russia is the world's second largest oil exporter after Saudi Arabia and the world's largest exporter of natural gas, wheat, nitrogen fertilizer and palladium. Shortly after the invasion of Ukraine, international oil prices LCOc1 jumped to the highest level since the 2008 record.

Reuters writes that attempts to reduce dependence on Russian oil, gas and petroleum products, or even to limit their prices, have worsened the already worst energy crisis since the Arab oil embargo of the 1970s.

ukraine
photo: Reuters

After Russia cut the flow through the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline to Germany, wholesale gas prices in Europe rose.

According to Goldman Sachs, a full shutdown would push the eurozone into recession, with sharp economic declines in both Germany and Italy.

GLOBAL GROWTH

The International Monetary Fund is now forecasting the world economy to grow by 3,2 percent this year, which is down from 6,1 percent last year and significantly lower than April's forecast of 3,6 percent, January's forecast of 4,4 percent, and October's forecast of 4,9 percent. percent.

Under a "potential" alternative scenario that includes a complete cutoff of Russian gas supplies to Europe by the end of the year and a further 30 percent drop in Russian oil exports, the IMF predicted global growth would slow to 2,6 percent in 2022 and two percent in 2023. with virtually zero growth in Europe and the United States next year.

Global growth has fallen below two percent five times since 1970, IMF chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gurinchas said - during the recessions of 1973, 1981 and 1982, 2009 and the 19 Covid-2020 pandemic.

The US is forecast to grow by 2,3 percent this year and one percent in 2023. The IMF has significantly reduced China's GDP growth forecast for 2022 to 3,3 percent from 4,4 percent in April.

Since the outbreak of war, the European Commission has cut GDP growth projections for the 27-member bloc to 2,7 percent this year and 1,5 percent in 2023, from four and 2,8 percent, respectively, compared to what was expected before the Russian invasion. February 24.

WESTERN ARMS

The United States has provided about $7,6 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since February 24, including Stinger anti-aircraft systems, Javelin anti-armor systems, 155mm howitzers and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense equipment.

The next largest donor to Ukraine is Britain, which has provided £2,3 billion in military aid. The European Union reached an agreement on 2,5 billion euros in security assistance to Ukraine.

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