The Russian war on Ukraine was the most prominent event in the world during the past year, and with its continuation and the suffering of many countries of the world from its consequences, especially in the fields of energy and food;
All eyes are on knowing her fate and possible paths in her second year.
Regarding military expectations and scenarios or possible political settlements for this war during the coming months, the military and strategic expert, Brigadier General Elias Hanna said - in his speech to the Scenarios program on (23/2/2023) - that Russian President Vladimir Putin has set great political goals, but he has allocated modest tools and performance for them. It wasn't good.
No loss or gain
As for the Western countries, Hanna believed that they were strategically clear, as US President Joe Biden stressed the absence of US military forces on Ukrainian soil.
From a strategic point of view, he made it clear that Western countries depend on Ukraine's support so that Putin does not win, threaten Europe and change the existing world order, and at the same time his loss should not be in a "humiliating" way so that he does not resort to the option of nuclear escalation.
On the Russian side, political analyst Yevgeny Sidorov said that Russia in its war on Ukraine had lapses and loopholes that caused some military retreats, but it will work to overcome them in the second year of the war, especially under the new military leadership.
Sidorov expected that there would be an acceleration in the pace of Russian military operations to achieve its main goal at this stage, which is to control the Donbass region, noting that the Russian leadership's statements go to the fact that the increase in the volume of Western supplies makes Moscow compelled to remove the danger that hangs over it and to continue its military operations.
direct threat to Europe
For her part, Samantha de Bander, a researcher at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, said that Western countries did not have a strategy for the war in Ukraine, but after the Ukrainian steadfastness they worked to help them because many countries in Eastern Europe felt that they were under direct threat from Russia, which seeks to invade Ukraine. And to continue a war of attrition with it, but Europe is trying to prevent that.
It is noteworthy that with the continuation of the Russian war against Ukraine and its intensification, and each party's attempt to achieve gains on the ground;
It is likely that the death toll among the military and civilians on the Russian and Ukrainian sides will rise, but the numbers remain divergent between Russian and Western sources and United Nations reports.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the death toll of the Russian army until the end of last September amounted to about 6,000 Russian soldiers, while US military sources said that it is estimated that 180,000 Russian soldiers were killed in 2022.
On the Ukrainian side, Ukrainian official sources said that the death toll of the Ukrainian army reached about 13,000 at the end of last year, while US military sources estimated the number of Ukrainian dead and wounded at about 100,000.