While its easy to think that Russia has the upper hand in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, things – and war – are much more complicated than it seems.
President Vladimir Putin’s forces are facing significant resource challenges that have seen Russia’s remaining strength stretched thin in the Ukraine War.
Putin Has Problems in Ukraine
All signs point to a deadlock of sorts, with both sides trying to hold or recapture pieces of territory that are too large for their forces. Kyiv-directed forces are pushing to gain the upper hand in the southern Zaporizhzhia and southeastern Donetsk regions, while Moscow is in the middle of an offensive northeastern Luhansk and Kharkiv. Both sides have deployed resources to support troops that are bearing the brunt of the separate offensives.
“In the annals of world military history, this has happened quite often when you have stalemates along an extended border,” military analyst and expert Mark Voyger said in an interview with Newsweek.
While Ukraine has obviously suffered massive losses to the war, U.S. officials have pegged Russian military casualties at close to 300,000, with 120,000 deaths and 170,000 to 180,000 wounded. In contrast, estimated military casualties for Ukraine are at 70,000 fatalities and around 100,000 to 120,000 injured military personnel. Ukraine does not release official figures on casualties, and Moscow is believed to routinely underreport its losses to the war.
More tech on the way
It will take some time before their effect on the war is seen, but Ukraine is set to have new war tech in the form of F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands and Demark.
Pilots will have to train for around six months to get a proper handle on the aircraft.
Kyiv has long asked Western allies to provide it with military jets, and has mounted offensives without air cover, leaving its troops open to attacks from Russian air forces.
Eleven countries of the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and the United Kingdom have committed to training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 aircraft.
Ukraine has also sought to use whatever tech it has available to strike at Russia, recently utilizing drones to attack infrastructures in Moscow.
Repercussions extend past borders.
Speaking to the press after a trilateral summit with leaders from Japan and South Korea, President Joe Biden pointed out that the repercussions of Russia’s war with Ukraine – and the subsequent response by other countries – extend beyond the “territorial dispute” some consider the conflict to be.
Some Republicans such as GOP presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis, have dismissed the war as a border dispute between the two countries (he has since provided clarification for his statements), and many Americans believe that the U.S. is sending too much help Ukraine’s way.
Others, like another candidate for the Republican presidential primary, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, said that the U.S. should just allow Putin to keep Russia’s occupied territories in Ukraine in an attempt to undermine the former’s relationship with China.
“If we stood still, what statement would that send to China about Taiwan? What signal would that send around the world?” the president said.
Biden also credited Japan for exhibiting “strong leadership through the G7 as well and contributed to a significant amount of financial and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine as well as nonlethal military equipment” and thanked the country for being part of “so many other nations in holding Russia accountable through international sanctions.”
Tim Ramos has written for various publications, corporations, and organizations – covering everything from finance, politics, travel, entertainment, and sports – in Asia and the U.S. for more than 10 years.
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