The Russia-Ukraine war meets its first anniversary on February 24, 2023. This first war in the 21st century between European countries began with the Russian President Vladimir Putin commanding the "special military operation" against Ukraine. This news shocked many people across the globe precisely one year ago. Further predictions are made for its possible end as the Russia-Ukraine war progresses throughout the year.

 

Putin's justification for this war was "to protect people who were subjected to harassment and genocide by the Ukrainian government and to "demilitarize and binarize" Ukraine (Jung, 2022). However, many believe its true intention was to sanction the actions of Ukraine trying to be part of NATO, short for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded with his strong will to fight back. This touched the hearts of people across the globe, and many nations sent aid to Ukraine's battlefield. 

 

Image source: Kirby, P. (2023, February 22). Has Putin’s war failed and what does Russia want? BBC News.

 

In the early stages of the war, Russia gained the lead. They advanced rapidly to gain control of Ukrainian frontiers. Cities like Sumy and Kharkiv were down, and even the capital, Kyiv, was at risk (Kirby,2023). As Ukraine got military and financial aid, they resisted valiantly and regained the land. In October 2022, the northern lands that were under Russian control were regained by Ukraine (Kirby,2023). During this period, there were various predictions regarding the course of the war. Some predicted that the war would end with Russia's failure, and some predicted that it would prolong for at least another year ("Five Predictions," 2022). 

 

The war continued as time passed, and as of February 2022, further lands were regained by Ukraine. However, Crimea and east western frontiers remain under Russian control, and the war still hasn't ended yet (Kirby, 2023). The possible scenarios for the war's end are made, with Russia or Ukraine's victory. The prediction is that the war will not end with a peaceful negotiation between the countries (Ragozin, 2023). The further progress of the war will solidify the predictions made toward its confident end.