Year Ender 2023: How many dangerous turns came this year in the Russia-Ukraine war, know who was ahead between Putin and Zelensky

Year Ender 2023: February 2024 will complete 2 years of the Russia-Ukraine war. The year 2023 was full of hopes for Ukraine, but in the end Russia dashed Zelensky’s hopes. Now Ukraine and Zelensky are left helpless. Ukraine is facing the threat of defeat from Russia. The main reason for this is not getting enough help from NATO and America. The year 2023 began full of promise for Ukraine’s security forces in the war against Russia, but as the year came to a close there was growing concern and frustration among soldiers about the future of Western aid for Ukraine’s war effort. Its effect started becoming visible on the battlefield also.

There was a short-lived rebellion in Russia in the middle of the year, a dam collapsed in Ukraine and much bloodshed on both sides of the conflict. 22 months after the invasion, Russia has taken control of almost a fifth of Ukraine. A crisis has emerged from the battlefield. The situation is becoming tense as political discussions intensify over billions of dollars of financial aid among Western countries supporting Ukraine’s struggle against its major rival. Following next November’s US elections, international political opinion is likely to shift sharply in favor of President Vladimir Putin, who has been Ukraine’s largest military supplier to date, and some Republican candidates in the country are showing support for Ukraine’s war. Insisting on closure.

Stop on aid to Ukraine from America and Europe

Nearly half of the U.S. population believes the country is spending too much on Ukraine, according to a poll published in November by The Associated Press (AP)-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. “The political landscape is changing on both sides of the Atlantic,” says Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, DC. Transatlantic solidarity has remained stable. But I don’t think it will always be stable.” Analysts say the changing sentiment could benefit Putin, as he seeks to at least keep Ukraine in limbo and ultimately end the war without giving Ukraine a bad rap. Want to force acceptance of the agreement.

Putin will contest the Russian presidential election again

Putin announced in early December that he would run for re-election in March, guaranteeing that he would maintain his grip on Russia for at least the next six years. “It’s been a good year for Putin, I would actually say a better year,” says Matthew Boulegue, adviser to the Russia-Eurasia program at the Chatham House think tank in London. Western sanctions on the Russian economy Harming him but not crippling him. Russian forces still hold ground on the battlefield and have largely held off Ukraine’s months-long counteroffensive. Marina Miron of the Department of Defense Studies at King’s College London said that the counter-attack was launched before the Ukrainian army was fully prepared.

Both countries fought the longest and fiercest battle in Bakhmut.

The longest and bloodiest battle at Bakhmut and the bombing of the city in May gave Putin the victory he desperately needed. It was like a ‘trophy’ to show off to the Russians as their army’s winter offensive had failed to advance to other Ukrainian cities and towns. The rebellion by the private army Wagner Group in June was the biggest challenge to Putin’s dominance in more than two decades in power. But it had the opposite effect. Putin suppressed the rebellion and retained the loyalty of his armed forces while strengthening his hold on the Kremlin (the office of the President of Russia). Wagner chief and rebel leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a mysterious plane crash and any public dissent about the war was immediately and harshly suppressed by the Russian authorities. Yet Putin has suffered many setbacks.

Arrest warrant issued against Putin

The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against him for war crimes in March, accusing him of being personally responsible for the abduction of children from Ukraine. Due to this it became impossible for him to travel to many countries. According to the US, Ukraine has so far taken back about half of the land captured by Russian forces during the February 2022 invasion, but it will be difficult to regain more land. Ukraine, for its part, has proven capable of conducting significant attacks close to enemy lines. It was even able to attack the Russian capital Moscow with long-range drones. Ukraine has emboldened Russia by attacking a key bridge, oil depots and airfields in Russia-annexed Crimea and the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol with missiles and drones.

North Korea gave strength to Russia

Russia has suffered huge losses of soldiers and equipment, but the country is able to withstand those shocks. Regarding Putin, foreign officials say that he has ensured a large supply of ammunition from North Korea. He has also ordered an increase in the number of Russian troops by about 1,70,000 to more than 13 lakh. Another challenge for Ukraine is the supply of resources for the war campaign. Analysts say its soldiers are becoming demoralized. Zelensky has appealed to Western leaders to continue aid. He has visited America thrice in the last two years. US President Joe Biden visited Kiev last February in a show of Western solidarity. Now he wants Congress to provide an additional $50 billion for the war in Ukraine. However, there are signs of waning support for Kiev as Biden’s proposal is stuck in a divided Senate. (AP)