Four years of war: Russia's invasion of Ukraine by the numbers

2026-02-24 - 05:42

Four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the war has become Europe's most devastating conflict since World War II, leaving a trail of human suffering, territorial loss, and economic destruction across the region. As the war enters its fifth year, the staggering toll continues to mount on both sides. Human Cost and Displacement According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission, approximately 15,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed and over 40,000 wounded, with 2025 proving the deadliest year for non-combatants. The conflict has triggered Europe's largest refugee crisis since the 1940s, with 5.9 million Ukrainians fleeing abroad and millions more internally displaced from a pre-war population of approximately 42 million. An estimated 5 million people remain in Russian-occupied territories, while thousands of children have been allegedly forcibly transferred to Russia. Military Casualties and Territorial Control Military losses on both sides have been immense. Independent researchers estimate Russian forces have suffered 1.2 to 1.25 million total casualties, including at least 325,000 killed. Ukraine acknowledges approximately 600,000 military casualties, with an estimated 140,000 killed—though President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has given a lower figure of 55,000 soldiers killed. At the war's outset in 2022, Russia controlled about 26% of Ukrainian territory. Following Ukrainian counteroffensives and subsequent Russian advances, Moscow currently holds approximately 19.3% of the country—roughly 116,000 square kilometers—including most of Crimea, Zaporizhzhia, and Donbas regions. Economic and Military Expenditure The war has dramatically inflated defense spending for both nations. Russia's military budget surged from $102 billion in 2022 to approximately $149 billion in 2024, while Ukraine's reached a record $71 billion in 2025—largely financed by Western support. International aid to Kyiv from the United States, European Union, and other partners has totaled $297 billion as of December 2025. Western sanctions have frozen more than half of Russia's gold and foreign currency reserves, with European authorities allocating these funds for Ukraine's military and reconstruction needs.