Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The expected Ukrainian collapse has still not happened.
Four years after Russian troops crossed into Ukraine, Moscow is conceding that its original ambitions remain out of reach.
The acknowledgment underscores how a campaign once expected to end swiftly has instead turned into a grinding conflict with no decisive outcome.
According to The Kyiv Independent, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Feb. 24 that Russia has yet to accomplish its central objectives in Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters, he admitted that “the objectives have not been fully achieved.”
The quick collapse that never happened
At the outset of the invasion in 2022, Russian officials and state media projected confidence that Ukrainian defenses would collapse quickly. Some Western intelligence estimates at the time also suggested Kyiv could fall within weeks.
Russian propagandist Margarita Simonyan declared in 2021, “In a war, we’ll defeat Ukraine in two days,” a statement that has since been widely cited as emblematic of Moscow’s early expectations.
Early expectations fade
Peskov reiterated that the Kremlin’s stated aim is “to ensure the safety of people who lived and live in eastern Ukraine.” Russia has consistently framed its military action as a mission to protect civilians in the Donbas region.
However, the full-scale invasion has brought widespread destruction across Ukraine. Cities and towns have been heavily damaged, thousands of civilians have been killed, and hospitals and schools have been struck, according to Ukrainian authorities and international monitors.
The conflict has also come at a high cost for Russian forces. Ukraine’s General Staff reported on Feb. 24 that approximately 1,261,420 Russian troops have been lost since the invasion began.
Sources: Ukrainian General Staff, The Kyiv Independent
