Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
In some ways, the war in Ukraine is remarkably similar to the how World War I was fought.
World War I officially started on July 28, 1914.
The active fighting ended with the armistice on November 11, 1918.
That means the war raged for 4 years, 3 months, and 14 days, or 1,567 days.
The Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine started on February 24, 2022. It has now lasted more than four years and three months—indeed, close to four years and four months.
In total, the fighting has now reached 1,569 days, meaning the war in Ukraine has surpassed World War I in terms of duration.
What has Putin got to show for it?
The numbers behind this standoff are massive. The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated at the beginning of 2026 that Russian forces had suffered 1.2 million casualties by that point.
That includes up to 325,000 killed, matching the population of entire cities.
Behind the scenes, the true cost mounts daily. British intelligence chief Anne Keast-Butler recently noted that Russia’s total number of dead could be as high as half a million.
Estimates from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine put total Russian casualties (killed and wounded) at more than 1.38 million as of June 12, 2026.
That is close to 1 percent of Russia’s entire pre-war population.
Despite these heavy casualties, the front lines have barely budged. The Institute for the Study of War calculates that Russia holds about 20% of Ukraine. This includes most of Luhansk and parts of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.
After gaining control of roughly 27% of Ukraine’s territory in the early stages of the war, Russia later lost significant ground as Ukraine recaptured large areas, reducing Russian-controlled territory to about 20% today.
Trenches and drones
The daily reality on the ground mirrors the dark days of 1914. Soldiers hide. Back then, heavy artillery forced them into the earth; today, cheap drones create a 20-kilometre dead zone where little can survive.
Speaking to The New York Times, French military historian Michel Goya pointed out the deep connection to the past.
“In general, when the front freezes, it’s like you’re back in World War I,” Goya said.
His takeaway is simple: “You bury yourself to defend yourself.”
