Four years of war: how the front line, losses, economy and aid to Ukraine have changed
How the front line changed
In 2014, Russia seized 8 per cent of Ukraine's territory, including Crimea and part of Donbas. After the invasion on 24 February 2022, that share rose to 27 per cent in March of that year, according to the Institute for the Study of War. After the Ukrainian counteroffensive, Russia controlled about 18 per cent of the territory by the autumn of 2022.
Over the next three years, the advance of Russian troops slowed significantly. From 2024, the pace of the offensive ranged from 15 to 70 metres per day, according to estimates by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
Civilian and military casualties
According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, more than 15,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed and more than 41,000 wounded since February 2022. The first year of the war was the deadliest. In March 2022, more than 4,300 civilians were killed. During 2025, 2,500 deaths were recorded, including 312 in July.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this month that 55,000 soldiers had been officially killed in action. At the same time, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies estimates Ukraine's losses at 100,000-140,000 dead as of December, and total losses, including wounded and missing, at 500,000-600,000.
According to estimates by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Russian losses amount to about 1.2 million people, including 325,000 dead. BBC News Russian and Mediazona give a different estimate of Russian deaths — 177,000.
Last year, according to the Kremlin, Russia's losses exceeded 415,000, while 406,000 new soldiers were recruited.
How the nature of the war has changed
The sides changed tactics after long periods without significant territorial changes. According to intelligence from Latvia's Constitution Protection Bureau, drones cause up to 80 per cent of injuries or deaths.
In the Kherson region, about 5,300 civilians have been affected by drone strikes since January 2024, according to the Tochnyi project.
In 2025, there were 978 Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, compared to 337 in 2022, according to Armed Conflict Location and Event Data. After the strikes in January, electricity imports rose to nearly 900 gigawatt hours, the highest since July 2019. Electricity exports have been suspended since November last year.
Displacement of Ukrainians
According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 5.9 million people are outside Ukraine, with another 3.7 million internally displaced.
There are 5.3 million Ukrainian refugees living in Europe and another 549,090 in other regions. As of December, there were more than 1.3 million Ukrainians in Germany, 980,000 in Poland and about 264,000 in the United Kingdom.
In 2024, 61 per cent of refugees surveyed said they planned or hoped to return, compared to 83 per cent in 2022.
Economic consequences
Inflation in Ukraine before the invasion was around 11 per cent, rising to 26.6 per cent year-on-year in October 2022. In January this year, inflation fell to 7.4 per cent.
In Russia, inflation rose to 17.8 per cent in April 2022 after sanctions were imposed, and reached 10.3 per cent in March 2025. Between 2022 and 2025, per capita output rose from $40,900 to $49,000.
International aid
As of December, international bilateral aid to Ukraine reached €343 billion, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. Of this amount, €162 billion is military aid.
The United States remains the largest donor with a contribution of €115 billion, although bilateral aid almost ceased last year. European military aid in 2025 increased by 67 per cent compared to the average for 2022–2024.
According to the Centre for Economic Strategy, last year's aid covered 56 per cent of Ukraine's financial needs, compared to 72 per cent in 2023 and 71 per cent in 2022. The European Parliament has approved a €90 billion support package, of which €60 billion is earmarked for defence.
