After nearly four years of conflict, the war in Ukraine has now reached a somber milestone: it has lasted as long as the Soviet Union’s “Grate Patriotic War” against Nazi Germany. an analysis published Sunday by Meduza draws a direct comparison between the two protracted conflicts, noting both spanned 1,418 days as of this week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has echoed this comparison, accusing Russia of seeking too repeat the historical aggression and invoking themes of fascism in his daily address.
The war in Ukraine has now lasted as long as the Soviet Union’s “Great Patriotic War” against Nazi Germany, a milestone reached after nearly four years of conflict. The analysis, published Sunday by the independent Russian and English-language news website Meduza, draws a stark comparison between the two protracted wars.
According to the analysis, the Soviet army took a total of 1,418 days to advance from initial setbacks against the Wehrmacht to Berlin, ultimately forcing Germany’s surrender alongside the Allied forces. Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin declared the “Great Patriotic War” following Germany’s invasion in 1941.
After 1,418 days of fighting in Ukraine, the Russian army remains entrenched in the same towns and villages of the Donbas region, according to Meduza. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, launched under President Vladimir Putin, is approaching its fourth year.
They wanted to repeat it. And yet, the Russians are still trying to capture the same Donbas as they were almost four years ago.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine
Zelenskyy: Putin Echoes Fascism
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also referenced the Meduza report Sunday evening in his daily video address. “Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine has now lasted as long as the war of Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union,” Zelenskyy stated, referencing the 1,418-day mark.
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“They wanted to repeat it,” Zelenskyy emphasized, adding, “And they are still trying to capture the same Donbas as they were almost four years ago.” He further accused Russia of repeating “the abuse of people, repeating fascism, repeating almost all the horrors that happened in the twentieth century.”
Putin Accused of Reviving Fascism
The Ukrainian leader also drew a direct line between the historical conflict and the current war, stating that Russia’s large-scale war against Ukraine has now matched the length of the conflict between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. This comparison comes as Ukraine continues to seek international support to resist the ongoing Russian invasion.
“Russia’s losses are at least 1,000 deaths per day,” Zelenskyy continued, claiming that Moscow is effectively paying a steep price to prevent the war from ending. “This is madness,” he said, adding that this “Russian madness” can only be stopped with a united effort and continued support from the United States and Europe. These figures have not been independently verified.
Meduza’s analysis noted that a direct comparison between the two wars is not entirely accurate. The report suggests that several indicators demonstrate the current conflict is existential for Ukraine alone. While Kyiv is able to continue fighting with Western support, the Kremlin appears unwilling or unable to commit to a total war effort, limiting its actions to incremental increases in intensity. The ongoing conflict highlights the significant strain on Russia’s military and economic resources.
© REUTERS/stringer
“Precise comparisons are impossible,” Meduza concluded. The analysis encountered “immediate methodological difficulties” when attempting to compare the conflicts, particularly regarding casualty figures. While “millions of people died in the Great Patriotic War,” the number of deaths in the current war in Ukraine is “likely to be well under a million on both sides,” according to the report. However, Meduza stressed, “There is no reliable data on the number of deaths in the current war.”
As of this 1,418th day of the war, Ukrainian officials reported minor Russian territorial gains near Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region and Pokrovsk in the Donbas. The Ukrainian military-affiliated blog “DeepState” published corresponding maps on Telegram. (with dpa)
