From: TransformUkraine.com By Douglas Landro
Summary of the Day – February 24, 2025
As Ukraine marks the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the global chess match for its future intensifies. European leaders descend on Kyiv in a rare show of solidarity, while Trump negotiates directly with Putin. The battlefield reality—Russian soldiers killed at unprecedented rates while still making incremental gains, Ukraine’s drone innovation versus Russia’s North Korean ammunition pipeline—contrasts with diplomatic maneuvers that could determine the country’s survival. The coming weeks may reveal whether Ukraine’s valiant defense gives way to peace on Moscow’s terms or a security arrangement that preserves its hard-fought sovereignty.
Blood and Iron: The Grim Battlefield Milestone
Three years after Russian tanks rolled across Ukraine’s borders, the human cost of Putin’s war stands starkly revealed: approximately 165,000 Russian soldiers dead, according to independent Russian outlets Meduza and Mediazona. Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi paints an even grimmer picture—nearly 870,000 Russian personnel casualties, with about 250,000 killed.
The material toll is equally staggering. Russia has lost over 10,100 tanks, 21,100 armored combat vehicles, and 23,300 artillery systems, Syrskyi reported. These losses, unsustainable in the medium to long-term, reveal the brutal calculus of Putin’s strategy: trading Russian lives for Ukrainian territory at an alarming rate.
Voice of Ukraine 