1,000 days of full-scale war against Ukraine: what it means for the world

Full-Scale War: Continuation of Russia’s Aggression from 2014

On 24 February 2022, Russian aggression against Ukraine reached a new level. Russian troops crossed the border and launched an offensive from several directions simultaneously, attempting not only to occupy territories in the East, South and North but also to break through to the capital, Kyiv.

By that time, the armed aggression had already been ongoing for nearly eight years. It began with the armed seizure and declaration of the annexation of Crimea, the occupation of parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions in 2014, and unsuccessful attempts to carry out similar operations in several other regions. For the occupation of Ukrainian territories, the Kremlin regime was sanctioned, which obviously proved to be insufficiently severe punishment and only whetted the aggressor’s appetite.

The myth of the invincibility of the “world’s second-strongest army” has been destroyed

For decades, Kremlin propaganda has nurtured the myth that the Russian army is not just one of the largest military powers in the world. Enormous resources were invested in promoting the narrative of its “invincibility” to foreign audiences. However, this turned out to be a great exaggeration. The heroic resistance of Ukrainian defenders destroyed the plans of the Russian command. The Russians failed to capture “Kyiv in three days.”

From March to November 2022, the Ukrainian Defence Forces drove the occupiers out of Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv, Sumy, most of Kharkiv region, and the right-bank part of Kherson region, including its regional center.

With virtually no naval fleet Ukraine conducted a successful operation in the Black Sea, destroyed many Russian ships, including the cruiser Moskva, forced the Russians to withdraw the remnants of their fleet from occupied Sevastopol, and ensured the functioning of the grain corridor.

Ukrainian drones regularly hit targets both in the occupied territories and in the territory of the Russian Federation, including Moscow. Since September 2024, Russia has not controlled part of its internationally recognised territory: The Ukrainian Defence Forces are conducting a defensive operation in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation.

The losses of the Russian army in Ukraine are measured in hundreds of thousands of people. In 2022, for the first time since World War II, the Kremlin was forced to declare mobilisation and engage prisoners, migrants and mercenaries in combat. In 2024, Russia is hiring military personnel from North Korea.

All of this shows that the Russian army cannot fulfil the tasks set by the Kremlin on its own. Ukraine has proven that the Russians can and should be defeated. To keep the world from “noticing” this, Moscow spends billions on propaganda and disinformation, regularly throws hysterics about “red lines” and resorts to nuclear blackmail.

Ukraine demonstrates resilience

A full-scale war has become the biggest stress test for the Ukrainian state. And Ukraine is successfully passing this test, demonstrating its institutional capacity. The defence forces are resisting invaders on the battlefield and protecting civilians in the rear from Russian missiles and drones. Ukraine’s financial system is fully functional, all sectors of the economy are operating, and reforms are being implemented. Despite the impossibility of holding elections during a war, Ukraine remains a democratic state with freedom of speech and political pluralism. The European Commission’s 2024 report acknowledged Ukraine’s commitment to fundamental reforms and progress in meeting the conditions for European integration.

Ukraine is successfully destroying another myth of Russian propaganda – that of the “failed state”, which is supposed to be in the zone of Russian influence. Ukrainians have proven their ability to build their own state, have chosen freedom and democracy, and are ready to defend their choice.

Russia is attempting to break the resilience of Ukrainians through terrorist strikes on critical infrastructure, residential buildings, and other civilian targets, as well as through intense information attacks.

Ukraine remains the cornerstone of international security

The full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war has become the largest armed conflict on European soil since World War II. During this war, the Ukrainian Defence Forces have transformed into one of the strongest armies on the continent. An army hardened in confrontation with Russia using all types of conventional weapons. Ukraine is gaining valuable experience in countering hybrid aggression, including cyber and information warfare, and is ready to share this experience with its partners.

In addition, Ukraine is a guarantor of food security for many countries around the world.

In Ukraine, Russia is spending its military potential, which limits its ability to carry out armed aggression against other countries. However, this does not stop the Kremlin from actively using hybrid warfare against democratic countries. Russia interferes in elections in Georgia, Moldova, the EU and the US, commits sabotage, attacks the free world with disinformation and propaganda, and conducts influence operations to destabilise other societies, polarise them and provoke internal conflicts. Russia does not hide its goal of destroying the system of international law, world order and security. Russia’s allies, primarily North Korea and Iran, not only assist Russia in its war against Ukraine but also serve as key providers of destabilization in the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East, respectively.

The war waged by the Russian Federation is openly genocidal, and the Kremlin’s goal is to destroy the Ukrainian state and nation: Ukrainian identity is effectively banned in the occupied territories.

Russian aggression against Ukraine has long exceeded the boundaries of a regional conflict. The “Axis of Evil,” which has already been formed with the Kremlin’s participation, openly declares its desire to destroy the existing world order. The outcome of the battlefield will determine not only the fate of Ukraine. We are at a point when global history can take different paths.

The first way is a return to normalcy. A return to an order based on international law, guarded by an alliance of strong and determined democracies.

The second way is to slip into a reality in which the rule of force dominates the rule of law, with autocracies imposing their will on other states. And new wars in different parts of the world are only a matter of time. Therefore, supporting Ukraine and implementing the Ukrainian Peace Formula and Victory Plan is an effective investment in international security.

Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security