Let’s take a step back and like, get the full tea on this whole Ukraine-Russia mess, because it has been dragging on forever. So, Russia totally invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, thinking it would be, like, a quick little military flex. But oops, Ukraine was not having it, and what was supposed to be a few days of fighting turned into, like, years of war. And girl, the numbers? Insane.
So far, estimates say that over 500,000 people have been killed or injured, which is, like, totally tragic. Ukraine has lost around 150,000 soldiers, while Russia’s military casualties are estimated between 200,000 and 250,000 (like, brutal). And that’s not even counting civilian deaths, which are, like, at least 30,000, but probably way higher because, um, Russia’s whole vibe has been bombing cities and leveling entire towns. Millions of Ukrainians have literally fled the country, creating the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since, like, World War II.
In terms of land, Russia initially tried to take Kyiv (Ukraine’s capital, duh), but that was a major fail. Instead, they focused on, like, gobbling up the eastern and southern regions. By mid-2022, they had seized Luhansk, most of Donetsk, and parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. But babe, Ukraine wasn’t playing—by the end of 2022, they totally pushed Russia out of Kherson, and in 2023, they kept fighting back, though, like, it’s been so slow because of all the trenches and landmines. Russia still controls about 18% of Ukraine’s territory, but they’ve been struggling to take more, and Ukraine has been hitting back with long-range missiles (and, like, total attitude).
Fast forward to today, and Russia’s all, “Okay, let’s talk ceasefire, but only if you do exactly what we want.” And girl, the demands? So extra. Putin is like:
- Ukraine has to totally pull out of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia and pretend they were, like, never part of Ukraine. Oh, and Crimea? Russia’s already acting like they own it, so they want Ukraine to be, like, “Yeah, sure, whatever, take it.”
- Ukraine can’t ever join NATO because, obviously, Russia doesn’t want them having, like, serious backup.
- Ukraine has to, like, disarm and promise not to get weapons from the West anymore. Like, girl, what?
- Zelenskyy (Ukraine’s president, duh) has to step down, because Russia wants a government that’s, like, way easier to push around.
- Oh, and can we talk about the audacity? Putin also wants the West to lift all sanctions on Russia. Like, babe, are you serious?
Experts are not buying it, though. European intelligence thinks Putin is just, like, stalling to rebuild his army, and Ukraine is basically laughing at the idea of giving up land when their whole thing is, you know, fighting for their land. Even American officials are side-eyeing this, because if Ukraine agrees, what’s stopping Russia from, like, pulling the same stunt again in five years?
So yeah, babe, drama. This war has been going on for over three years, and it’s still, like, a total mess. Russia wants a deal, but only one where they win, and Ukraine is, like, hard pass. So unless something major changes, this thing isn’t ending anytime soon.
XOXO,
Valley Girl News
Photo Credit: Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images
