Today we are marking the tragic one-month threshold since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. These 30 days have been the time of great heroic struggle of glorious Ukrainian people against the aggressor.  

The fierce resistance that Ukrainians have put up against Russia has effectively debunked the myth of the so-called second strongest army in the world. Militarily Russia is bleeding like it has never bled before in the modern history. Its military is lacking discipline, showing low combat readiness in the face-to-face kinetic action against the motivated Ukrainian forces, demonstrating that the only sphere they are good at is looting homes and destroying the civilian infrastructure. The depth of a military setback for Russia is amply demonstrated by the fact that the numbers of casualties Russian army has faced up until now is bigger than the number of soldiers killed and wounded in action in the entire 10 year long campaign of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. Russian army is deserting and abandoning the weapons increasingly questioning the reasons why they have been sent to die in Ukraine.  

All Russian troops prepared for invasion have already been sent to Ukraine. They were stopped everywhere and face severe logistical challenges. Up to 40% tactical groups lost their combat capability. As of 23 March, the Russian military losses constitute about 15,600 personnel, 105 aircrafts, 124 helicopters, 42 UAV, 518 tanks, 1578 armored vehicles, 267 artillery systems, 80 multiple rocket launch systems, 47 anti-aircraft systems, 4 vessels/boats. Up to 1000 Russian military were taken captive. Six Russian high-level commanders were killed.  

15600 Russian misled men will never return to their homes. This is the price Russian people are paying for the messianic and paranoidal worldview of the current, most probably temporary Russian political leadership. Russia has no air dominance in Ukraine. Russia has already lost 105 fighter jets and more than 124 army helicopters. This is a Ukrainian revenge for all the atrocities and havoc Russian pilots and jets (who took an active role in the Syrian campaign) have caused against the good people of Syria.    

The war has its ways of bringing the best and the worst in a human being at the same time. It depends on which side of the war one finds himself of herself in. For Ukrainian people it is a great national war. The war for the very existence of Ukrainian nation. On the other hand, Russia is demonstrating the worst atrocities ever committed.  

On 11 March, the UN OHCHR confirmed the use of cluster munitions by Russian troops in populated areas, incompatible with the international humanitarian law principles. Russia uses civilians as hostages and human shield. By exposing cities to indiscriminate shelling, creating a dire humanitarian situation, and firing at civilians during evacuation from the besieged Ukrainian cities to other places in Ukraine, Russia is forcing civilians to flee their homes and providing only a corridor to its territory or to Belarus, which could be considered as forcible deportation of protected persons. There are evidences of Ukrainian women being raped by the Russian soldiers, of kids being deliberately shot down by invaders. Russia's attacks target residential areas, air bomb shelters for civilians, medical infrastructure, and transport means used for medical, humanitarian support and evacuation purposes.  

These 30 days and the war crimes of the Russian forces against Ukrainian people is the result of a dehumanization of modern Russia. The decision to start a war of aggression was taken by Putin. At the same time, 71% of Russians support this war and mass killings of Ukrainians. This is a shared responsibility. Thus, responsibility for Russia’s war against Ukraine lies with the entire Russian society, not only president Putin and his proxies. All of them must be held accountable. Russia is a one way train and the next stop is a Nurnberg like wide mandate international court process against Russian political and military leadership and massive reparations to Ukrainian people.  

 

Let’s not make a mistake. This is the beginning of the end for the Russia you used to know. Russia and Russian people are never going to be welcome in any civilized country. The ripple effect of the ongoing aggressive war is going to be felt by generations of Russians, socially, economically, politically. In 30 days, Russia has turned itself into a pariah state with no future. A country isolated from the rest of the world replicating the Orwell 1984 society model in the worst form – this will be the result of a premeditated and deliberate war of choice by a war criminal Vladimir Putin. These 30 days have proven that the Russian leader is not a genius tactician, but a strategic failure.  

Ukraine will stand, and no amount of missiles or soldiers amassed against us will stop us from defending our Homeland.