Russia-Ukraine War Enters Fifth Year As Strikes Continue

Four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Europe’s largest armed conflict since the Second World War continues with no clear end in sight. As the war moves into its fifth year, renewed diplomatic efforts have yet to produce a breakthrough, even as fighting and humanitarian suffering persist.

US-brokered talks, part of the Trump administration’s year-long push for peace, have brought Russian and Ukrainian representatives together. However, core disagreements particularly over Russian-occupied territories and Ukraine’s future security guarantees remain unresolved, stalling meaningful progress.

Meanwhile, the war’s toll continues to mount both on the battlefield and among civilians.

Military losses on both sides are believed to be severe, though exact figures remain difficult to verify. A report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates that Russian casualties including those killed, wounded, or missing reached approximately 1.2 million between February 2022 and December 2025. Of that number, as many as 325,000 troops are thought to have been killed, marking the deadliest conflict for a major power since World War II.

Russia has provided limited official updates, with its last public figure released in January 2023 acknowledging just over 6,000 military deaths.

Ukraine has also endured significant losses. The same report estimates between 500,000 and 600,000 Ukrainian casualties, including up to 140,000 fatalities. President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier this month that 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed, noting that many others remain missing.

Because neither country releases consistent or comprehensive data, and independent verification remains restricted, the full scale of military losses may not be known for years.

Civilians continue to suffer heavily. The United Nations has documented more than 40,600 civilian injuries and confirmed thousands of deaths since the invasion began, while cautioning that the real figures are likely much higher. At least 763 children have been confirmed killed.

In 2025 alone, 2,514 civilians were killed and 12,142 injured, a 31 percent increase compared with 2024, making last year the deadliest for civilians since 2022. Ongoing Russian aerial strikes have severely damaged Ukraine’s power infrastructure, leaving millions to endure recurring electricity and water shortages, particularly during harsh winter months.

Despite the immense human cost, territorial shifts have been limited. The Institute for the Study of War estimates that Russia gained just 0.79 percent of Ukrainian territory over the past year, highlighting the grinding, attritional nature of the conflict.

Prior to the 2022 invasion, Moscow already controlled nearly 7 percent of Ukraine’s territory, including Crimea and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk.

International support for Ukraine has evolved over time. According to Germany’s Kiel Institute, military assistance from foreign partners fell by 20 percent last year compared with the 2022–2024 annual average. This decline followed the United States’ suspension of American-funded weapons shipments after Donald Trump’s return to office.

European nations have partially offset the gap, increasing their military support by 67 percent during the same period. However, humanitarian and financial assistance dropped by 5 percent.

The war has also driven one of the largest displacement crises in modern history. Around 5.3 million Ukrainians are now living as refugees across Europe, while an additional 3.7 million remain internally displaced. Before the invasion, Ukraine’s population exceeded 40 million.

Healthcare services have been repeatedly targeted. The World Health Organization reports thousands of attacks on medical infrastructure since February 2022, including 2,347 strikes on healthcare facilities, along with damage to ambulances and medical storage sites.

Four years on, the conflict continues to reshape Europe’s security landscape while exacting a devastating human and economic toll with peace efforts still struggling to bridge deep divides between the two sides.