Civilian casualties to economic loss: One month of Russia-Ukraine war

Quick and decisive. These won’t be the two words used to describe Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The ‘special military operation’, as Russian President Vladimir Putin described it on February 24, has turned into a war of attrition rather than overwhelming Ukraine’s defences, as was widely believed. Tens of thousands have lost their lives while millions have been displaced.

Ukrainian officials peg the economic loss due to the shelling in billions. But a month since it started, and multiple rounds of peace talks later, the war is still on.

Russia’s key demands

> Ukraine should be neutral

> Give up claim to Nato membership

> Undergo a disarmament process

> Give protection to the Russian language in Ukraine

> Give independent status to Crimea, Donetsk, & Luhansk