Unfolding Conflict: The Russian War on Ukraine and its Global Implications

Report by Ahmad Abdallah, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine 

 

It is the most significant war Europe has seen since the end of World War II, the Russian war on Ukraine.

A war that Moscow expected to achieve its goals by returning Kyiv to obedience within a few months, but the battles today entered their third year.

A war from which Moscow did not emerge defeated or victorious.

Russia was surprised by Ukraine's defense of itself with this momentum, as behind Ukraine stood billions of dollars from the United States and military support, alongside NATO support, which expanded during the war with the accession of Finland and Sweden.

In a precedent in Europe for decades, Russia invaded and seized Ukrainian territories. In contrast, Ukraine managed to reclaim some others before Kyiv's efforts, most notably Russia's annexation of Zaporizhzhia and the fall of the city of Mariupol.

As a result of this war, 8 million people fled Ukraine, while about 5 million others were displaced from one area to another within Ukraine, and today, about 17 million people need assistance, according to UNHCR figures.

The war was not only military but also economic, in which the West fought Russia with its sanctions. Yet, Moscow surprised the world with its resilience in the face of these sanctions, as Moscow, during the war, reduced its external debt from $46 billion to $32 billion and achieved a surplus in commodity trade, nearly $300 billion, according to the World Trade Organization.

While Russia has withstood with its massive capabilities, Ukraine has stood with the international support it received, with its president complaining of its decline amid the Israeli war on Gaza.

 

After the gross domestic product fell by 29.1 percent in 2022, it returned to rise by about 5 percent this year, with expectations of a rise by about 7 percent next year, and the question today is, how long will this raging war continue? 

And in whose favor will the outcome of this battle be decided, which affects the continent as a whole?