Vladimir Putin has been fighting not just Ukraine, but his own people
He will not stop
TWO YEARS after he launched his invasion of Ukraine on February 24th 2022, things are going Vladimir Putin’s way. Ukraine’s summer counter-offensive failed, and Russian troops are slowly creeping forward. On February 17th they took Avdiivka, a small town, now a smoking ruin, next to the Russian-held city of Donetsk. It is the first Russian achievement since May. But though it is of limited significance considering the cost in blood, it is a sign of Mr Putin’s determination to carry on his war. Russia’s military-industrial complex is now churning out five times as many shells as it did at the start of the war. Western aid to Ukraine is ebbing.
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This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Two years on”
Europe February 24th 2024
- Vladimir Putin has been fighting not just Ukraine, but his own people
- After two years of war, Ukrainians are becoming pessimistic
- Towns in eastern Ukraine fear they will be Russia’s next target
- How Boris Pistorius is transforming the German armed forces
- Europe’s generosity to Ukrainian refugees is not so welcome—in Ukraine
From the February 24th 2024 edition
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The attack on Ukraine is part of a new era of missile warfare
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Once dominant, Germany is now desperate
As an election looms its business model is breaking down