Here are the terrible costs of Vladimir Putin's enduring war in Ukraine

A Ukrainain boy sits in a swing at a playground outside a building destroyed during attacks in Irpin, Ukraine, on the outskirts of Kyiv, in May 2022. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

The Russian war on Ukraine has now lasted more than 100 days. It has exacerbated a critical demographic situation in Ukraine, one that saw its population fall from 52.5 million in 1991 at the time of independence to a projected 43.2 million in 2022 prior to the outbreak of war.

The population fall was attributed to a low birth rate, high mortality rate and emigration. During the presidency of Petro Poroshenko from 2014 to 2019, Ukraine became the poorest country in Europe, surpassing Moldova in this unfortunate category.