January 18, 2026

Not Great, Maybe Patriotic, Definitely a War


Not Great, Maybe Patriotic, Definitely a War
Modern uniforms just aren't as stylish. The Russian Life files

On January 12, 2026, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine hit a new milestone: it had endured for three years, ten months, and eighteen days, one day longer than the fight against Nazi Germany from 1941-1945.

There are a couple of reasons why this milestone is significant.

First, at the very start of the war, Russian President Vladimir Putin promised a "three-day special military operation." Almost four years later, and the picture is very different. While over the course of the Second World War Russia took or retook 1.16 million square miles, in Ukraine, Russia has taken only 116,000 square miles (after its initial offensives were stopped in their tracks and the front line stabilized).

Second, Putin has often and repeatedly compared the current conflict to the near-mythological struggles of the Soviet Union against Hitler. While the Second World War, or, as Russians call it, the Great Patriotic War, pitted two world superpowers against each other and led to a stunning Soviet victory that gobbled up territory all the way to Berlin, today's grinding frontline in Ukraine has seen 400,000 Russian soldiers (that's the liberal estimate) killed for hardly any gain.

And so, these days, the comparison is starting to fall flat. And with no end in sight, who knows how much longer the war in Ukraine is set to grind on.

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