How four years of Ukraine war have changed Russia

"The war, known by its official euphemism of special military operation (SMO), has now lasted longer than Russia's involvement in World War II from 1941 to 1945. Russian combat deaths, verified by the BBC and the independent Russian outlet MediaZona, have now topped 186,000 nearly 13 times the Red Army's losses during the entire 1980s war in Afghanistan, which lasted a decade and included soldiers from across the Soviet Union."

"Areas of western Russia bordering Ukraine, such as the Kursk and Belgorod regions, have come under artillery barrages, drone strikes and even ground incursions from Ukrainian forces with part of Kursk falling under Ukrainian control temporarily. Just over a year ago whilst Ukrainian forces were still in this region, you'd get strikes multiple times per day, said 25-year-old Ben Higginbottom, better-known as YouTuber Ben the Brit, who moved to Kursk with his Russian wife in 2021."

Nearly four years after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the conflict endures and is officially termed a 'special military operation' (SMO). The campaign has lasted longer than Russia's involvement in World War II between 1941 and 1945. Verified Russian combat deaths have exceeded 186,000, roughly 13 times Soviet losses in the 1980s Afghanistan war. Millions of Ukrainians have fled, and Ukraine's energy infrastructure faces repeated missile attacks. Western Russian regions bordering Ukraine, including Kursk and Belgorod, face artillery, drone strikes and occasional incursions, with hundreds of civilian fatalities reported in Belgorod. Civilian life shows normalization of risk, tighter rights and reduced market choices, while public support for the war remains high.

Read at www.aljazeera.com