Many surely remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when the war started. For me, the first days of the war blend together and I find it difficult to piece together the timeline of the different events. What I remember is that almost everyone was convinced that Russia would defeat and occupy Ukraine after a few days or weeks.
Both Russia and the majority of journalists worldwide (and even many military “experts”) were completely wrong. Russia thought it would be a walkover and deluded themselves into believing that Ukraine would surrender and that many would even welcome them as liberators.
Zelenskyy did not flee, and Ukraine put up strong and resolute resistance (although there are suspicions that some must have helped the Russians in southern Ukraine, which was quickly taken). It might have looked different if the Russians had managed to hold Hostomels airport and establish a land bridge to quickly reach and attack Kyiv to replace Zelenskyy and the government. It might have also looked different if the Russians had not been overconfident but instead started the war with a massive prolonged preparatory bombardment instead of thinking it would be a cakewalk. Everyone probably remembers the long column, which many initially thought would make it all the way to Kyiv but got stuck on the road and was almost on the verge of being annihilated before they were forced to turn back.
Now, after four years, Russia has not advanced much further than they did in the first spring of the war, and in the meantime, they have lost enormous amounts of soldiers and equipment. The summaries of the losses in the reports are of course somewhat misleading since both soldiers and hardware are often not completely written off but are redeployed in the war, but it is still astonishing how much Russia is willing to sacrifice for the war. Putin, of course, knows that he must continue if he wants to retain power. The war has cost them too much for him to be able to back down and still retain power, but at some point, the people, the commanders, the soldiers, and the oligarchs must eventually realize that the price is too high.
The war has, of course, cost Ukraine enormously, but they know that they have no choice but to continue, and it is our duty to give them all the support we can.
Please commemorate the fourth anniversary with an extra donation to one of the volunteers and organizations helping Ukraine. You can find some suggestions here.
SLAVA UKRAINI
Russian Losses in Ukraine
Russia’s nightly terror attacks on Ukraine continue unabated, once again a high number of UAVs even though it doesn’t quite reach a record. 50 Artillery pieces and 190 soft vehicles is a good result.
- 920 KWIA
- 2 Tanks
- 4 AFVs
- 50 Artillery systems
- 1 Air defense system
- 1693 UAVs
- 190 Vehicles and Fuel tanks
- 1 Special equipment
Russian Activities in Ukraine
The latest record for suicide drones deployed yesterday was 8990, in today’s report it’s almost the same. Also a high number of KAB. However, the artillery seems to be slowly fading away and being replaced by drones.
- 116 skirmishes
- 96 air strikes
- 265 KAB
- 8,915 suicide drones
- 2,346 artillery attacks (71 from MLRS)
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Umlaut wrote in yesterday’s thread:
“Are all kinds of drones counted as UAVs? I find it difficult to relate to that specific category.”
I believe that what is reported in the loss reports concerns larger drones, both the suicide type like Shahed’s but also larger surveillance drones like Orlan-10 and similar.
The reason I draw this conclusion is that the numbers reported on Russian activities (“AFU reports” which I usually use as a headline in the comments) are always significantly higher than the numbers presented in the loss reports.
Regarding the information on Russian activities/AFU reports, I believe instead that it concerns FPV drones used as suicide drones and thus have some form of explosive charge. FPV drones are also used for pure reconnaissance, but then they should presumably not be classified as suicide drones.
Of course, it may be that in those reports, Shaheds are also counted as suicide drones, but I believe those reports are about frontline activities and not about the nightly attacks that go deep.
These are of course just my guesses. Perhaps some of you have other thoughts on this?
Perhaps someday, when the war is over, we will find out exactly what underlies their reports.
“Four years of war in Ukraine – in pictures”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2026/feb/24/four-years-of-war-in-ukraine-in-pictures
“Zelensky warns Belarus can no longer deny involvement as Russian drone repeaters operate there, says future peaceful relations depend on free leadership and pro-EU path in Minsk”
From yesterday:
“Tomorrow, February 24, it will be four years since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The bombardment of Ukrainian cities has been constant, but the war has changed on the battlefield over the years.
Drones now dominate the arsenals of both sides, while modern 21st-century warfare has merged with trench warfare reminiscent of World War I. This is described by Sky News’ Alex Rossi, who has visited the front line in Kharkiv.
– We used to fight on horseback. Now we fight in the sky. We literally take out helicopters with drones, says Colonel Dmytro Yaroshenko, who leads the 117th Brigade.
– The war has fundamentally changed.
He describes drones as a logistical nightmare. They are everywhere, and as soon as a vehicle is detected, there is a high risk of it being taken out.
“Bohdan,” the head of the brigade’s anti-aircraft battery, says that drones often fly so low that the most effective way to shoot them down is with shotguns. Against drones flying higher up, Kalashnikovs are the most effective.”
Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) visits Kyiv on the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the government announces.
During the day, he will, among other things, meet with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, TT writes.
– More should do more, there is no doubt about that, he tells the news agency during the train journey there.
He also says that the Russian goals, as the war enters its fifth year, have not been achieved as Russia had intended.
– If you look at the long-term Russian strategic ambitions, most things have not gone their way, he says, mentioning, among other things, that Sweden and Finland have become NATO members and that the so-called coalition of the willing is stronger now than in 2022.
Several other world leaders are also in Kyiv on the occasion of the anniversary, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa.
Today marks four years since Russia launched its full-scale attack on Ukraine. There is little indication that the war will come to an end in the near future. Negotiations have been taking place simultaneously in various parts of the world, from Belarus to Turkey and from the United Arab Emirates to Switzerland.
The war in Ukraine was something that Donald Trump said he would quickly resolve before starting his second term. Even though peace has not yet been achieved, credit must be given to the USA, says Serhij Kyslytsja, a member of Ukraine’s peace delegation.
“They are in meetings continuously. They are not just observing, they are asking questions and listening to our answers,” he said in an interview with the BBC.
He also states that the USA will play a crucial role in monitoring a future ceasefire, as a strong third party is needed to address any violations.
When asked about facing representatives from the country that invaded Ukraine, Kyslytsja responds that he is accustomed to it from his time as a UN ambassador.
“I have seen much worse. I spent five years in New York, three of them before the full-scale invasion. I regularly sat in the same room as the enemy.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen anlände in Kyiv on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine.
This could end really badly.
How can one even think about using Grok in military security systems and for surveillance, autonomous weapons, etc.?
“Elon Musk’s AI company X AI has signed an agreement with the US Department of Defense Pentagon to use Grok in the military’s high-security systems, Axios reports.
So far, only Anthropics’ model Claude has been approved for the most sensitive systems. However, the Pentagon has clashed with Anthropic because the AI company has refused to make the model available for “all legal purposes,” including those related to mass surveillance and autonomous weapons.
X AI, on the other hand, is said to have accepted the Pentagon’s conditions.
The Pentagon is also close to finalizing a deal with Google, which is behind the AI model Gemini, as reported by the New York Times.”
https://omni.se/grok-ska-anvandas-i-pentagons-hemliga-system/a/gkEPEa
Violence, murder, and brutality within their own ranks on the Russian side of the front line. This is what Russian soldiers testify to in the BBC’s “The Zero Line”.
Two soldiers describe how soldiers are executed on the spot if they refuse to obey orders. One of them recounts how their commander, who was awarded the title “Hero of Russia”, ordered a soldier to be shot.
– I saw it, just two, three meters away. Click, clack, bang.
Another soldier tells how he saw his commander shoot four soldiers dead.
– I remember one of them screaming: Don’t shoot, I’ll do anything.
One of them also says that he saw about twenty bodies that had been “zeroed”, which is a Russian slang for executing their own.