4 Years into Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine, a Look at the War by the Numbers 

A resident walks at the site of the Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the city of Chornomorsk, Odesa region, Ukraine February 23, 2026. (Reuters)
A resident walks at the site of the Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the city of Chornomorsk, Odesa region, Ukraine February 23, 2026. (Reuters)
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4 Years into Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine, a Look at the War by the Numbers 

A resident walks at the site of the Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the city of Chornomorsk, Odesa region, Ukraine February 23, 2026. (Reuters)
A resident walks at the site of the Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the city of Chornomorsk, Odesa region, Ukraine February 23, 2026. (Reuters)

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine four years ago launched Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II, causing immense suffering for civilians and harrowing ordeals for soldiers while rewriting the post-Cold War security order.

The fighting enters its fifth year on Tuesday, and it shows no signs of stopping any time soon.

The US has brokered talks with delegations from Moscow and Kyiv as part of the Trump administration's yearlong push for peace. But reconciling key differences, such as the future of Russian-occupied Ukrainian land and postwar security for Ukraine, has thwarted progress.

Meanwhile, thousands of each countries’ troops have died on the battlefield, and Ukrainian civilians have been battered by Russian aerial strikes that have brought years of power outages and water cuts.

Here’s a look at the conflict, by the numbers, since the full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.

1.8 million The upper end of the estimated number of soldiers killed, wounded or missing on both sides, according to a report last month by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank.

It estimated that Russia suffered 1.2 million casualties, including up to 325,000 troop deaths, between February 2022 and December 2025 — what it said was the largest number of troop deaths for any major power in any conflict since World War II.

Russia has not released figures on battlefield deaths since January 2023, when it said more than 80 soldiers were killed in a Ukrainian strike, bringing the total military deaths Moscow has confirmed to just over 6,000.

CSIS estimated that Ukraine has seen 500,000 to 600,000 military casualties, including up to 140,000 deaths.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this month that 55,000 Ukrainian troops have died in the war. Many are missing, he said.

Neither Moscow nor Kyiv gives timely data on military losses. Independent verification is not possible.

14,999 The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission’s count for civilian deaths in Ukraine since Russia’s all-out invasion, though it says that is likely an underestimate. More than 40,600 civilians were injured over the same period, it said in a December report.

The war has killed at least 763 children, according to the UN.

Last year was the deadliest for civilians in Ukraine since 2022. The conflict killed 2,514 civilians and injured 12,142 in the country in 2025 — a 31% increase in civilian casualties over 2024, it said.

19.4% The percentage of Ukrainian land occupied by Russia, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

Over the past year, Russia has gained just 0.79% of Ukraine’s territory in the grinding war of attrition, the Washington-based think tank said in calculations provided earlier this month to The Associated Press, underscoring the little progress Moscow's forces have made despite huge costs in troops and armor.

Before Russia’s all-out invasion, it controlled nearly 7% of Ukraine, including Crimea and parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the east, as Moscow-backed separatists fought the Ukrainian army, according to Ukrainian officials and Western analysts.

13% The percentage drop in foreign military aid to Kyiv last year compared with the annual average between 2022 and 2024, according to Germany’s Kiel Institute, which tracks assistance to Kyiv.

US President Donald Trump stopped sending American weapons paid for by the US to Ukraine after he took office just over a year ago. European countries, striving to make up the difference, increased their military aid last year by 67% compared with the 2022-2024 period, the institute said in a report this month.

Foreign humanitarian and financial aid to Ukraine fell by 5% last year in comparison with the average in the previous three years, it said.

5.9 million The number of Ukrainian civilians who have left their country.

Some 5.3 million of those people have found refuge in Europe, according to a report this month from the UN office in Ukraine.

Additionally, around 3.7 million Ukrainians forced out of their homes have moved elsewhere within the country, the UN said in December.

Ukraine's prewar population was more than 40 million.

2,851 The number of Russian attacks that affected the provision of medical care in Ukraine, according to the World Health Organization. The figure covers the period from the full-scale invasion through Feb. 11.

The attacks include 2,347 strikes on health care facilities, as well as ones that damaged vehicles and the storage of medical supplies.



Modi Breaks Netanyahu’s Isolation with 16 Cooperation Agreements

The Indian Prime Minister listens to the Israeli Prime Minister during an exceptional session of the Knesset on Wednesday (EPA)
The Indian Prime Minister listens to the Israeli Prime Minister during an exceptional session of the Knesset on Wednesday (EPA)
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Modi Breaks Netanyahu’s Isolation with 16 Cooperation Agreements

The Indian Prime Minister listens to the Israeli Prime Minister during an exceptional session of the Knesset on Wednesday (EPA)
The Indian Prime Minister listens to the Israeli Prime Minister during an exceptional session of the Knesset on Wednesday (EPA)

In a move seen as breaking Israel’s relative international isolation amid its ongoing war in Gaza, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed 16 agreements with Israel during a two-day visit to the country.

Modi arrived in Israel on Wednesday for talks aimed at strengthening ties in trade and defense. The visit was marked by an unusually warm reception. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally welcomed Modi at the airport and later accompanied him to address the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, where lawmakers applauded and cheered.

Netanyahu hailed Modi as “a great global leader and a great friend; more than that, a great brother.”

He added: “They say India has achieved tremendous accomplishments. That is not accurate. It should be said that thanks to your leadership, your wisdom, and your determination, India has achieved its successes.”

The Israeli premier also thanked Modi for India’s assistance during the recent Gaza war, noting that New Delhi had supplied Israel with ammunition and drones.

Sixteen Agreements and a Historic Honor

The Israeli government announced the signing of 16 bilateral agreements during the visit. In a symbolic gesture, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana awarded Modi the “Knesset Medal,” marking the first time the honor has been bestowed on a visiting leader.

This is Modi’s second visit to Israel since taking office, nearly nine years after his first trip in 2017.

Beyond political symbolism, the relationship carries significant economic weight. India is Israel’s second-largest trading partner in Asia. According to India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, total bilateral trade reached $3.62 billion in fiscal year 2025.

Renewed Indian Condemnation of October 7

For his part, Modi declared that “India stands with Israel at this moment and beyond.” Addressing the Knesset plenary, he offered condolences for those killed in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack launched by Hamas, describing it as a “terrorist and brutal attack.”

Modi also praised a plan proposed by US President Donald Trump that he said would safeguard Palestinian national rights.

Expanding Strategic Ties, Secrecy

Observers view the visit not merely as a reflection of improved relations, but as a major step in advancing strategic cooperation. The agreements include memoranda of understanding designed to deepen coordination across several sectors, particularly in security, with officials describing the partnership as a “distinguished strategic relationship.”

Security sources revealed that the two sides reached an arrangement establishing a “confidentiality framework,” allowing India access to previously restricted Israeli systems. These reportedly include advanced air defense systems and integration into Israel’s laser-based air defense network. India is also expected to receive licenses to manufacture certain Israeli weapons systems domestically.

The Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth quoted a senior political official as saying the agreement would provide greater flexibility to security agencies and enable both countries to rely on one another when necessary, calling it “a major revolution.”

Writing in the right-leaning newspaper Israel Hayom, columnist and former lawmaker Zvi Hauser, a political ally of Netanyahu, said one of the key issues Modi and Netanyahu would discuss is Iran’s future and the prospects for the fall of its regime. Hauser suggested that Israel, India, and a post-Revolution Iran could form a powerful strategic alliance in the region.


Cuba Says It Killed Four Gunmen on Speedboat Trying to Infiltrate from US

Cuban coast guard ships docked at the port of Havana. (AFP) 
Cuban coast guard ships docked at the port of Havana. (AFP) 
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Cuba Says It Killed Four Gunmen on Speedboat Trying to Infiltrate from US

Cuban coast guard ships docked at the port of Havana. (AFP) 
Cuban coast guard ships docked at the port of Havana. (AFP) 

Cuba said it thwarted the attempt of gunmen trying to infiltrate from the United States as its coastguard opened fire on Wednesday at a Florida-registered speedboat near its shores, killing four people and wounding six.

Havana's Interior Ministry said the speedboat's passengers opened fire on a coast guard vessel that approached them near an island off the country's northern coast.

The ministry claimed the passengers were armed and intended to “carry out an infiltration for terrorist purposes.”

Handguns, assault rifles and improvised explosive devices were recovered on the speedboat, according to the statement, along with other tactical gear.

The ministry said the 10 passengers are all Cuban citizens living in the US.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was seeking its own facts about the shooting and would “respond accordingly.”

“We're not going to base our conclusions on what they've (Cuba) told us, and I'm very, very confident that we will know the full story of what happened here,” Rubio told reporters while on a trip to the Caribbean nation of St Kitts and Nevis. “As we gather more information, then we'll be prepared to respond accordingly.”

James Uthmeier, Florida's attorney general, said he would direct local law enforcement to investigate the incident.

“The Cuban government cannot be trusted, and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists accountable,” he said.

In an earlier statement posted on X, the Cuban interior ministry said the Florida-registered vessel was detected near Cayo Falcones, in the country's central Villa Clara province on Wednesday morning.

When a Cuban boat carrying five members of the ministry's border guard approached the vessel for identification, “the crew of the violating speedboat opened fire” and wounded the Cuban commander, the statement said.

It added that “As a consequence of the confrontation, as of the time of this report, four aggressors on the foreign vessel were killed and six injured.”

Those injured were evacuated and given medical assistance, the statement said.

In Washington, US Vice President JD Vance said the White House was “monitoring” the incident but added that he hoped it was not a serious one.

“Certainly, you know, a situation that we're monitoring, hopefully it's not as bad as we fear it could be. But can't say more, because I just don't know more,” Vance told reporters.

The confrontation comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and Cuba, which lies just 160 km across the Florida Straits. It also comes as the US softened a virtual oil siege of the island imposed by President Donald Trump in January after the US ouster of top Cuba ally, Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela.

Before Maduro's capture by US forces on 3 January, Cuba had relied on Venezuela for about half its fuel needs.

Faced with an outcry from Caribbean leaders, worried that starving Cuba of oil would cause the economy to quickly collapse, the US said it would allow shipments of Venezuelan oil for “commercial and humanitarian use.”


US Arrests Ex-Air Force Pilot for Training Chinese Military

Former Air Force pilot Gerald Brown (photo circulated on social media)
Former Air Force pilot Gerald Brown (photo circulated on social media)
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US Arrests Ex-Air Force Pilot for Training Chinese Military

Former Air Force pilot Gerald Brown (photo circulated on social media)
Former Air Force pilot Gerald Brown (photo circulated on social media)

The US Justice Department announced the arrest on Wednesday of a former Air Force fighter pilot who allegedly trained Chinese military personnel without authorization.

Gerald Brown, 65, was arrested in Indiana after having recently returned to the United States from China, where he had been since December 2023, a Justice Department statement said.

He is accused of having "conspired with foreign nationals to provide combat aircraft training to pilots in the Chinese Air Force" without a required license from the US State Department, AFP quoted the statement as saying.

FBI director Kash Patel posted on X: "Major story... the FBI and our partners have arrested a former US Air Force Pilot who was allegedly training pilots in the Chinese military."

Brown had a 24-year career in the US Air Force during which he "commanded sensitive units with responsibility for nuclear weapons delivery systems, led combat missions, and served as a fighter pilot instructor and simulator instructor on a variety of fighter and attack aircraft."

He had retired from the military in 1996 and worked as a cargo pilot, the statement said, but he later began a role as a US defense contractor training pilots to fly the A-10 and state-of-the-art F-35 fighter jets.

He allegedly began negotiating a contract in August 2023 with Stephen Su Bin -- a Chinese national who was imprisoned in the United States for four years beginning in 2016 over another espionage scheme -- and traveled in December 2023 to China to begin his training job.

"The Chinese government continues to exploit the expertise of current and former members of the US armed forces to modernize China's military capabilities," said Roman Rozhavsky, an official with the FBI's Counterintelligence and Espionage Division.

"This arrest serves as a warning that the FBI and our partners will stop at nothing to hold accountable anyone who collaborates with our adversaries to harm our service members and jeopardize our national security," he added.