Day 1,000 Of Putin’s “Three-Day” War In Ukraine

As Kyiv gets a green light to strike targets inside Russia with long-range U.S. weapons, Ukraine marks one thousand days since Russia launched its full-scale invasion. We look back today at the two years, nine months and counting, of what has become a bloody war of attrition.

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, the Kremlin promised to take Kyiv in three days. Very few believed then – and some still don’t – that a victory is even in the realm of possibility for Ukraine’s modest military over Russia’s mighty army. Turns out, the Russian army is not so mighty, after all. Moscow has had to bring in 10,000 North Korean troops to reinforce its badly depleted ranks and is relying on munitions and weapons from both North Korea and Iran.

But while Russian military casualties have been extraordinarily heavy, the Ukrainian military has also been hard hit. And incessant Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities, town and villages, have left at least 12,162 civilians dead since the start of the full-scale invasion, with the total number of civilian casualties (those killed and injured) near 40 thousand, according to the recent report by the UN Human Rights. So, while Ukraine remains strong and motivated, its citizens are becoming exhausted after nearly three years of war.

In February 2022, Ukraine was caught off guard by the invasion, despite warnings from western intelligence about Putin’s imminent attack. By the end of the first day of the war, Russian forces had occupied the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, located just 60 miles north of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv. Continuing their southward advance rapidly toward Kyiv, Russians burned one of Ukraine’s national symbols: the world’s largest aircraft, the legendary super heavy-lift cargo plane An-225 Mriya , originally designed to transport Soviet spacecraft. Further east, Russian forces broke through Ukraine’s Chernihiv and Sumy regions, and pushed rapidly toward Kyiv as well, in an attempt to surround the capital. The Ukrainian military managed to stop the enemy, just a few miles outside Kyiv. Meanwhile, the country’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, located only 19 miles from the Russian border, endured relentless artillery bombardment, with fierce battles raging on the outskirts of the city, heavily damaging its northern neighborhoods.

During the first few months of 2022, Moscow’s biggest advances were in Ukraine’s south. The Kremlin quickly seized control of Kherson oblast, or region, as well as the nearby Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, securing a coveted land bridge between Russia proper and occupied Crimea. Russian forces entered Mariupol, a city of just under half a million, in the Donetsk region in Ukraine’s east. An 82-day siege followed, which saw Russian forces bombarding civilians and destroying hospitals, residential buildings, and other infrastructure as the city’s Ukrainian defenders made a last stand at the Azovstal steel plant. The city’s blockade resulted in thousands of deaths, with the total number of casualties yet to be fully tallied. Despite Russian advances, Ukraine’s motivation to defend itself was remarkable. Unarmed civilians stepped in front of columns of tanks to block their advance and Ukrainians lined up to enlist in the army or join territorial defense units.

The Ukrainian military had its first breakthrough in the spring of 2022, when it liberated the Kyiv suburbs of Bucha, Irpin, Hostomel, and others. In the wake of Russia’s occupation, it discovered evidence of unspeakable war crimes, mass graves, stories of civilians (including children) raped and tortured, sometimes in front of their parents. More than 1,700 civilians were killed in Kyiv oblast during the Russian occupation, including nearly 450 in Bucha alone.

The West, though nervous about antagonizing Russia due to its nuclear arsenal, nevertheless started helping Ukraine and providing military support, albeit reluctantly. In May 2022, Ukraine received the first M777 howitzers (British-made, highly maneuverable, light cannons) marking the first significant Western artillery deployment at scale in the conflict. Prior to this, Ukraine had used only grenade launchers, anti-tank systems, and protective gear to defend itself. A month later, the arrival of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) further shifted the balance in the war. The precise, pinpoint strikes forced Russian forces to rapidly relocate their supply lines and adjust their logistics, allowing Ukraine to seize the initiative, slow down Moscow’s advances, and alter the dynamics on the battlefield.

In September 2022, Ukrainian forces launched a successful counteroffensive in northern Kharkiv region. In the space of a week, Ukraine liberated almost 1,000 square miles, reclaiming nearly the entire region and half of the territories occupied by Russia since the start of the invasion. Ukraine’s triumph continued into the following month, culminating in the liberation of the city of Kherson, and the entire right bank of the Dnipro river, which bisects the region. More mass and individual graves, torture chambers and other evidence of atrocities were uncovered in the liberated territories in Kharkiv region.

As of day 1,000 of the conflict, Russian forces occupy 18.4% of Ukraine, or nearly 25,800 square miles, or 11% of its 1991 borders, according to the non-governmental organization Deep State, which updates an open-source map of the war. Ukrainian forces have liberated 16,400 square miles since February 2022 (7% of Ukraine’s total area).

By 2023, the Kremlin developed a new strategy to terrorize Ukraine and force its capitulation: destroy its energy infrastructure. For months, Russian forces attacked energy facilities with missiles and drones, hitting key targets and regularly plunging Ukraine into darkness. After a short break, Russia resumed the tactic in 2024. Over these thousand days of war, Russia has conducted 25 large-scale attacks on Ukraine’s power grid, launching over 1,500 missiles in total.

In the summer of 2024, Russian forces began to make advances back into previously liberated territories, and launching concerted attacks on Kharkiv in the north. Ukraine countered with an unexpected offensive into Russian territory in the Kursk region, making surprising gains and exposing Putin’s weakness. Soon after, Russia engaged 10,000 North Korean troops to reinforce its personnel in the region.

As of November 18, President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to use powerful, long-range American weapons inside Russia. This could really change the course of the war and help Ukraine to protect its civilians and cities. In the last 1,000 days, Ukraine has received over $100 billion in external budgetary support to help sustain its economy and institutions, with the EU ($40.5 billion), the U.S. ($28.2 billion), and the IMF ($11.4 billion) as the largest contributors. Notably, $33.7 billion—more than one-third—came as non-repayable grants. Ukraine’s largest charity foundation, United24, has raised nearly $750 million to support the war effort.

After one thousand days of war, Ukraine remains united as never before. Ukraine’s fight is not only for its own sovereignty; it is also protecting stability, peace and democracy in Europe as a whole.

By Danylo Nosov, Katya Soldak, Karina L. Tahiliani