Russian President Putin is speaking in Moscow, delivering a state-of-the-nation address. In previous addresses, he has railed against NATO's perceived threat to Russia, and drawn on his country's history to buttress his rationale for launching the invasion, and sticking with it in the face of unexpected Ukrainian resistance.

Putin accuses West of manipulating Global currencies

U.S. : China considering arming Russia

President Vladimir Putin delivered a nuclear warning to the West over Ukraine, suspending a bilateral nuclear arms control treaty, announcing new strategic systems had been put on combat duty and warning that Moscow could resume nuclear tests.

Key takeaways of Russian President Vladimir Putin's State of the Union address

U.S. slams absurdity of Putin's anti-West speech

Vladimir Putin has said Russia will halt its participation in New Start, the last major remaining nuclear arms control treaty with the US, in a speech devoted to the one-year anniversary of Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Putin says Russia will halt participation in New Start nuclear arms treaty

In pics | Major Russian attacks across Ukraine

The first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is here. With no end in sight to the war, the West is renewing military aid to Ukraine. Among the Ukraine allies, Germany is one of the frontrunners in sending weapons to Ukraine. Watch this video to find out how the Ukraine war is expected to cost Germany by the end of 2023.

Here’s how much the Ukraine war is expected to cost Germany by the end of 2023

Here’s how much the Ukraine war is expected to cost Germany by the end

Here’s how much the Ukraine war is expected to cost Germany by the

Russia-Ukraine war: Putin delivers major address in Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered his long-delayed state-of-the-nation address, saying that the West cynically cheated its people. Putin alleged that Kyiv held talks with the West for supply of weapons before Russia's military operation in 2022.

Russia-Ukraine war : Putin delivers combative speech, blames West

Russia-Ukraine war : Putin delivers war-time address

Russia-Ukraine war : Putin hits out at U.S.' global military presence

Russia-Ukraine war : Putin slams West's double standards

It was nearly a year ago, on February 24, 2022, when tanks and armoured vehicles rolled into the Ukrainian territory along with nearly 200,000 soldiers. Russian President Vladimir Putin was brimming with confidence of an impending victory, and his forces progressed up to Kyiv without much resistance, but by April they had to retreat and shift focus to the separatist region of Donbas.

It was nearly a year ago, on February 24, 2022, when tanks and armoured vehicles rolled into the Ukrainian territory along with nearly 200,000 soldiers. Russian President Vladimir Putin was brimming with confidence of an impending victory, and his forces progressed up to Kyiv without much resistance, but by April they had to retreat and shift focus to the separatist region of Donbas. Putin’s dream triumph has been eluding him as the Ukrainian troops withstood the initial onslaught and came up with a strong counteroffensive with the help of arms and warfare inputs from the West. As a consequence, the war has stretched much beyond Putin’s calculations and imagination, turning out to be much costlier than anticipated, while measures like conscription bred discontent among Russians at home, further adding to his woes. Cutting the umbilical cord Cut to December 25, 2022, Ukrainians for the first time celebrated Christmas earlier, cutting their umbilical cord with the Russian tradition, venting their anger and resentment over the massive devastation in their homeland, loss of dear ones and livelihood, homes being reduced to rubble and suffering the vagaries of the extreme winter cold without power and heating. Pictures capturing the massive destruction, pain and agony send a chill down the spine and remind us about the grisly, despicable repercussions of war. It takes so much to build, and just a whim to destroy. It was a subdued Xmas celebration in Ukraine, but one that was marked by exceptional resilience, courage and indefatigability amidst suffering. Many had lost a family member, kin, friend, neighbour, or benefactor, in the massive waves of strikes by Russian missiles, rockets and kamikaze drones, but they still lit candles despite their hearts seething with pain, just to spite the enemy. ALSO READ | Russia slams Emmanuel Macron for his remarks, says Moscow remembers Napoleon’s fate Families of fallen Ukrainian soldiers decorated Christmas trees on their graves as heavens showered snow as if it were sharing their grief. Volunteers in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv made a Christmas tree out of camouflage nets that were donated to soldiers fighting on the frontline after the holidays. It was a poignant, pensive Christmas for Ukrainians. A fortnight later, Russia also celebrated Christmas, on January 7, since its Orthodox Church still follows the Julian calendar and not the Gregorian calendar in which Xmas falls on December 25. Going by the celebrations in Russia, there was not even the faintest inkling of the country being at war, but this picture is just superficial. Every war bleeds the economy within, during and afterwards. The so-called “special operations” have resulted in massive casualties for Moscow’s forces also, as Putin had to order a partial mobilisation. Loss of Russian men and machines Remember, Moscow had a strong army of 850,000 active troops before the invasion. When war gets extended to a year, the costs are obviously high and though Russians may be living a normal life now — as there is no war action on Russian soil — the costs of the war will pinch them sometime eventually. As per the estimates of UK intelligence officials, the Russian regular forces along with the Wagner troops may have suffered around 175,000-200,000 casualties. Ukraine has been using weapons supplied by several countries and managed to repulse the attack as Russia lost captured ground in a massive counter-offensive. Conscription of 300,000 recruits and the deployment of Wagner Group mercenaries revealed that casualties in the Russian army had been massive. And now, as the West is again lining up fleets of Challenger, Leopard and Abrams tanks, more fatalities would follow. Since the mobilisation call led to protests and Russian men used all possible ways to flee, there would be more reliance on the mercenaries and the Wagner group would further grow in stature and pose a challenge to the Russian army. Russia is estimated to have lost nearly 40% of its fleet of tanks in the Ukraine war, as per a count by the specialist think tank, the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS). It lost the missile cruiser Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Black SeaFleet, in April when it was hit by Ukrainian missiles. Putin’s spending on war material has also gone up as he has been procuring Kamikaze drones and missiles from Iran and Pyongyang. WATCH | Macron: Russia should be defeated in Ukraine, not crushed at home × Fall from grace, dent in image The invasion has hit Russia in other ways as well, as it has also lost its position of pre-eminence in the comity of nations. Its image of a powerful country in the region in the post-Soviet space has been hit hard. Moreover, Putin is aligning with rogue nations and those looked at with a doubt as he builds a new axis, bringing Moscow into its closest ever relations with China, North Korea and Iran. Russia, Iran, and North Korea are facing restrictive economic sanctions and are tying up for trade to circumvent the punitive measures besides working together on tactical and strategic levels. The G-7 nations are weighing sanctions on Chinese, Iranian and North Korean firms for aiding Russia’s military. It’s not difficult to fathom what Putin wanted by invading Ukraine, but Russians definitely would not like seeing their country being clubbed with North Korea and Iran. Former comedian Vs leader flaunting macho image The war can make or mar image, there will be twists and turns as it progresses but providence seems to have been favouring Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, a former actor and comedian. The war has given him a grand entry on the stage of geopolitics all of a sudden, and he has been making the right moves. His leadership has won him acclaim and he has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance. Zelensky was named the Time Person of the Year for 2022. He shed suit and tie and switched to wearing army-green T-shirts and sweatshirts in public appearances since the onset of the war in solidarity with his troops fighting Russians, and the world has seen him wearing the same clothes for the past 10 months, even while visiting abroad. Commentators even drew a parallel between his attire and Winston Churchill's historic appearance at the White House during World War II in a siren suit. Putin, known to be fond of his macho image, has been presenting himself as a tough leader, while scolding a minister during a meeting that was captured live. The war has kept him away from his macho pursuits as he had been photographed shirtless while riding a horse, firing darts with a crossbow at a grey whale from a motorboat, flooring the opponent in a Sambo wrestling session. What will Russia and Putin gain and lose? Ukraine is devastated and may well take a decade or more to bounce back. Rebuilding Ukraine after the destruction caused by the Russian invasion will cost around $349 billion, said a joint assessment by the World Bank, European Commission and Ukraine government. The Russian economy, on the other hand, will contract further due to the price cap on its crude oil and the EU’s embargo on oil and petroleum products. The effect of sanctions will become more evident on the ground gradually as public finances will shrink, and domestic manufacturing will be under stress. The Munich Security Conference saw nations pledging all support for Ukraine, expediting weapons’ supply and imposing tougher sanctions on Moscow. It will also be held accountable for war crimes as leaders mentioned Bucha and Mariupol. The earlier the war ends the better for both Ukraine and Russia, and the world as well, since till then the possibility of the conflict escalating will keep lurking. (Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

If Ukraine does lose the war, will Putin really be the winner?

WION’s Anas Mallick reports from ground zero as the Russia-Ukraine war completes one year on February 24th.

Lviv, Ukraine after one year of war

Days before the first anniversary of the Ukraine War, US President Joe Biden arrived in Ukrainian capital Kyiv and met President Volodymyr Zelensky. Director, Eurasia Democracy Initiative, Peter Zalmayev speaks to WION more on this.

Director, Eurasia Democracy Initiative, Peter Zalmayev speaks to WION on Biden's visit to Ukraine

Amidst blaring air raid sirens and fears of a Russian offensive, US President Joe Biden reached Ukraine's Kyiv in an unannounced visit.

Joe Biden’s surprise visit to Ukraine

The war in Ukraine has brought Poland's role to the foreground - one is obviously due to the proximity as the country shares a border, not just with Ukraine but with Russia and Belarus but there is also a firmer voice of diplomacy from the Warsaw.

Russia-Ukraine War: WION's ground report from Ukraine-Poland border

Nearly a year since Russian forces rolled into Ukraine, there are no real signs of a way out of the conflict. Neither side appears primed for an outright military victory, and progress at the negotiating table seems just as unlikely. Watch WION's ground report from Lviv in Ukraine.

WION's ground report from Lviv in Ukraine

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began nearly a year ago, the world has been broadly categorised into three camps – countries allied with Ukraine, those impartial to the conflict, and the nations that have defended Russia.

Russia- Ukraine war: One year into war, who stands where?

Self-proclaimed president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has invited US President Joe Biden to Minsk to meet with Vladimir Putin to "stop the war" against Ukraine.

Belarus' Lukashenko Invites Joe Biden To Minsk To 'end War' ahead of meeting with Putin

On February 9, it became apparent that Russia had begun an attempt to choke off Bakhmut from further resupply. “Blocking of Ukrainian supplies began in the area of Chasov Yar and Berkhovka,” a Russian military reporter said, referring to two settlements through which Bakhmut's lines of communication run.

Russia- Ukraine war: Russia tries to choke off Bakhmut from supply

Politicians, military officers and diplomats from around the world gathered in Munich on 17th Feb to discuss Europe's security situation following the Russian invasion of Ukraine almost a year ago.

Russia-Ukraine War dominates Munich Security Conference

Heavy fighting was underway in the northern parts of the frontline hotspot Bakhmut, while Russian missile strikes on Ukraine's second-largest city Kharkiv killed and wounded five people.

Fierce fighting underway in north of Ukraine's Bakhmut

India's national security advisor Ajit Doval met Russian president Vladimir Putin. Priyanka Sharma tells you what was on the agenda of the meeting and what it means for India.

Gravitas: India & Russia agree to deepen strategic ties

February 24th will mark a year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began. And to mark the occasion, U.S. President joe biden will be travelling to neighbouring Poland , even as Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky rallies European Nations to arm his troops in efforts to defeat the Russian onslaught. So are there any gains in this conflict, who has benefitted from the war so far, is the West supplying Ukraine with weapons, fanning the war or causing a distraction? WION's Eric Njoka speaks to Robert Bell, a distinguished professor of the practice at the Georgia Institute of Technology, for a perspective.

Ukraine invasion one-year anniversary

Britain’s new promise to train Ukrainian pilots on NATO-standard jets is just a “first step,” the country’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak, said on Wednesday, strongly suggesting the training pledge was a prelude to providing Ukraine with advanced British fighter planes to help battle invading Russian forces.

Russia-Ukraine War: UK promises to train Ukrainian pilots

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said that nothing is off the table when it comes to helping Ukraine in its fight with Russia after Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Britain and other countries to give Ukraine Wings of Freedom. Meanwhile Russia's embassy to Britain warned London against sending fighter jets to Ukraine.

Zelensky makes wings for freedom plea

An international team of investigators has suspended the criminal investigation into the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014. They say they have insufficient evidence to launch any new prosecutions.

Investigators end MH17 downing probe despite 'indications' of Putin's involvement

Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands will give at least 100 old Leopard 1 tanks from industry stocks to Ukraine over the coming months.

Ukraine will get 100 more tanks from Europe

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