When Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it is understood that he believed a takeover would only take a few days.
However, as Ukrainian resistance persists and high losses on both sides continue, the war is still ongoing a year from that day. Far from the complete takeover that Putin dreamed of, Russia's main area of control for much of the war was the Crimea Bridge which was illegally annexed in 2014.
However, that same bridge was severely damaged by an explosion during the war. The main areas of success for Russia include Mariupol and Melitopol, which Putin claimed had never been done before by historical Russian leaders.
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In a tweet, the British Ministry of Defence said the invasion for Russia "didn't go to plan". It added: "358 days after Russia’s D-Day they continue a grinding offensive in the Donbas.
“But at D+358 they’re not where they likely hoped to be in this sector by D+10. The campaign has likely failed to meet any of its operational and strategic objectives.”
Meanwhile, cities like Mariupol have been completely decimated and turned into piles of rubble. Other key areas targeted by Russian forces included Kherson in which 30,000 Russian troops retreated from in November.
At the time, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace declared the retreat "another strategic failure". Regions such as Donbas still see a stalemate for both sides as deaths continue to soar past the thousands with no victory on either side yet to be seen.
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