Four Years of Full-Scale War in Ukraine

Putin's war of aggression against Ukraine has now lasted longer than World War 2's "Great Patriotic War". What started as a "special military operation" now has resulted in

• Over 1.2 million casualties
• 29 Naval vessels destroyed
• Over 360 military aircraft lost
• Oil industry decimated by sanctions

Is this what winning looks like? Even though the cost of the war is running at €250 billion per year, all that Putin has definitely achieved so far is 

• The Russian economy continues to shrink
• Europe is more united than before
• Ukraine's army is Europe's strongest
• Democracy is still standing in Ukraine

Sanctions are biting deep into Russia’s war economy. They are draining reserves, cutting trade, and shutting off key markets. Energy revenues are plunging, borrowing costs are soaring, and fiscal pressures are intensifying.

Rising taxes, mounting debt, and stagnating industries expose the fragility of a militarised economy.

With each passing day, sanctions make it harder for the Kremlin to sustain its war of aggression against Ukraine.

In 2022, over 500 civilians were murdered by rampaging Russian invaders in the peaceful suburb of Bucha. The EU is funding the push for justice and accountability for this Russian war crime in the war of aggression on Ukraine. By collecting and preserving evidence, pursing legal means and supporting a tribunal, the EU is ensuring that evidence gathered in Bucha today stands up in court tomorrow. This atrocity must not go unpunished. 

• Follow the link to learn details more about Bucha: Where Accountability Begins

As Russia intensifies its hybrid war against Europe, EUvsDisinfo – the EU’s flagship initiative – exposes the Kremlin’s disinformation ecosystem. To counter foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), EUvsDisinfo tracks deceptive narratives, debunks false claims, and analyses influence operations. Its research provides policymakers, media, and citizens with evidence-based insights to strengthen democratic resilience

Russia has systematically deployed foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) alongside its military aggression on Ukraine, weaponising disinformation to distort reality, fracture Western unity, and erode support for Kyiv. 

Through coordinated narratives about NATO expansion, “denazification,” warmongering West, and fabricated war crimes, the Kremlin seeks to exhaust public opinion and paralyse decision-making in democratic societies.

Unlike conventional warfare, cognitive warfare targets perception itself: it aims not to destroy or grab territory, but to reshape beliefs, weaken resolve, and make aggression appear inevitable or justified.

The EU is working with partners to bring forcibly-deported Ukrainian children home and we join Ukraine in demanding a just and lasting peace that respects international law. 

As the EU, we strongly condemn attacks on civilians and infrastructure. We are mobilising emergency humanitarian and military support as well as giving Ukraine our political and economic backing. We Stand with Ukraine and Defend Europe. 

Download the poster. 

• Follow the link to download this original poster about Four Years of Standing with Ukraine.