At dawn on February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine with the intention of a quick conflict that would culminate in a victory for Vladimir Putin and the overthrow of the government of Volodymyr Zelensky.
A year later, the Ukrainian people and forces continue to contradict initial predictions, resisting the invader and even regaining ground in regions such as Kharkiv and Kherson, fulfilling Zelensky’s words a few hours after the start of the conflict: “When they attack us, they will see our faces. Not our backs, but our faces”.
After almost 365 days of conflict, there are thousands of casualties on both sides. The UN estimates that 8,000 civilians have died so far. And the infrastructural damage will already exceed 50 billion euros, at a time when the war has no end in sight.