Ukraine: The impact of War
At the start of December, Reuters estimated the impact of the war in Ukraine as follows:
Deaths
At least 41,295 people
Non-fatal injuries
At least 53,616 people
Missing
At least 15,000 people
Displaced
Approximately 14M people
Buildings destroyed
At least 140,000
Property damage
Approximately US$350B
Nearly 10 months after his invasion of Ukraine began, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday acknowledged that the conflict is “going to take a while,” as he also warned of the “increasing” threat of nuclear war.
Speaking at a meeting of Russia’s Human Rights Council at the Kremlin, Putin said Moscow will fight by “all available means at our disposal,” in what he insists on calling a “special military operation,” but also said he saw no immediate need to mobilize more troops.
The fighting in Ukraine has been slowing down and this will likely continue in the coming winter months, US intelligence agencies believe. However, there has been no evidence of fading resistance on the part of Ukrainian forces, US director of intelligence Avril Haines said. She said both sides would try to "refit, resupply and reconstitute" for any counter-offensive in the spring.
NATO’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, has said Russia is attempting to “freeze” the fighting in Ukraine over the winter to prepare its forces for a renewed assault early next year. Stoltenberg urged NATO allies to continue sending weapons to Kyiv over the winter, adding that the conditions for a peaceful settlement to the war are “not there now”. It follows Russian attacks on Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure. The war in Ukraine is now in its tenth month but Russia has lost more than half the land it seized.
Pray: For the safety and welfare of civilians in conflict zones in Ukraine (Psalm 121:7)
For those who have lost family members in the war, are grieving, widowed, or orphaned.
For the peace and justice of God to flow through the land of Ukraine (Deuteronomy 20:1-4)
