The contents of this article are written with authoritative materials and personal opinions. The source of the literature has been marked at the end of the article, so please know.
In this world, you often guess the beginning of many things, but you can't guess the result.
Three years ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of "special military operations."It aims to protect the people of the Donbass region and to “demilitarize” and “de-nazize” Ukraine.
At that time, many people thought it would be a quick blitzkrieg. The Russians attacked from several directions, seeking a quick solution.
But as a result, Ukraine's resistance was very tenacious, and coupled with the continuous assistance from the West, the Russian army was unable to advance near Kiev and retreated from the north at the end of March.
As soon as the Russia-Ukraine conflict began, Russia wanted to solve the problem quickly.
Putin and Russian generals are estimated to feel that what happened in Crimea in 2014 could be repeated.It is hoped that the Ukrainian resistance will soon be overthrown.
But contrary to expectations, Ukraine did not surrender, but showed a strong determination to resistBy the end of March 2022, Russian troops had to withdraw from northern Ukraine, turning to the south and east.
Mariupol was besieged since March 2022 and was not fully controlled until May 20. This battle caused heavy losses to both sides.This battle also shows that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine will last for a long time and will be cruel.
In the summer, Ukraine began to fight back with weapons from the West.
In September 2022, in the Kharkov region, the Ukrainian army recovered many places in a week.This means that the war has entered a stalemate stage, not a unilateral Russian attack
The battle for Bahmut lasted nine months from August 2022 to May 2023, becoming a war of attrition.This small town has become a "meat grinder" for both Russia and Ukraine. Both sides have invested a lot of people and suffered heavy losses.
In 2024, the conflict became even more intense, with Ukrainian troops invading the Russian Kursk region in August, where Russia responded with high-speed hypersonic missiles.
The war burned into the mainland of Russia, which few could have imagined at the beginning of the war.
Putin wants to drag on the war, mainly to ensure the security of Russia's borders。Ukraine and NATO are too close to each other, making Russia feel threatened, which is why this special military operation was launched.
A protracted war can put Ukraine in trouble, with infrastructure destroyed, population exodus, and economy declining, making it less likely to join NATO.
Moreover, Russia uses a large number of mercenaries and private armed forces to delay time and give itself the opportunity to adjust its strategy.
But Putin's biggest misjudgment was not to underestimate Ukraine's ability to resist, but to underestimate NATO's strategic endurance and its ability to fight together with the Western world.
Russia wanted to pass.Blocking food exports and cracking down on infrastructure have caused the collapse of Ukraine's economy，But it turned out the opposite.
By 2025, Ukrainian food exports are close to pre-war levels, both FAO and the Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture have confirmed.
The support of Western countries is no longer temporary, but has established a long-term stable aid system.
Ukraine's ability to maintain combat effectiveness is largely due to Western support.
Russian missiles did not scare back the West, but instead allowed them to quickly establish a perfect response mechanism.International joint mining, special shipping insurance system, alternative port and rail transport network.
When the Russians attacked the ports of Odessa and Rennes, Ukraine, with the help of the West, established more logistics channels.
Port of Constantinople, Polish Railway, Danube Waterway... Temporary but effective "wartime lifelines" are slowly forming.
In terms of military assistance, the railway line along Ukraine's western border has been open, and a train loaded with military fire has entered Ukraine smoothly from Poland.
The airport in Thereschow, Poland, became the center of U.S. transport aircraft, continuously delivering supplies to the frontline.This is in sharp contrast to Russia's ability to rely on partners such as North Korea and Iran to provide artillery shells and drones.
The Russian army also made tactical adjustments and evolution.Late at night on August 23, 2025, the Russian military FAB-500 flying guided bomb accurately hit the Volchansk Command Center, demonstrating new strike capabilities.
This "discover and destroy" combat method shows that the Russian army has mastered battlefield information to a certain extent.
The average time the Ukrainian front troops spent from concentration to destruction was reduced to 72 minutes, much faster than the three-hour deployment of the western-aided Hamas missile system.
The Russian army began to use a combination of drones and gliding bombs to create "air snipers."The UMPK flying guided bombs cost only $20,000, but can accurately hit targets 50 kilometers away and are costly.
By 2025, the Russian army remained under pressure in the east, but the overall situation remained toughening.The United Nations report showed that the casualties of civilians on the frontline were increasing and infrastructure was severely damaged.
Recently, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has escalated, and the direction of Kharkov has become a new hotspot.
Russia plans to send 30,000 more troops to launch a third-front offensive in this area.
The Ukrainian army has also moved urgently to restructure its defenses in the hope of meeting the upcoming challenges.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said on August 26,Attacks by Russian forces continue to cause severe damage to personnel, equipment and facilities of the Ukrainian army.
In the past day, the Ukrainian army lost more than 1,200 soldiers, large amounts of weapons, five electronic interference stations and eight ammunition, supplies and fuel deposits.
At the same time, the Ukrainian military has used missiles and drones to attack front areas such as Donetsk, Lugansk, Helsinki and Crimea.
Ukrainian special operations forces attacked Crimea in the early morning of August 26, paralyzing Russian military logistics facilities.
After more than three years of fighting, Putin may finally understand the real reason why the Russian army could not defeat Ukraine after fighting for so long.
This war is no longer just a conflict between Russia and Ukraine, but a collision between Russia and the modern warfare system of the 21st century.
The old method of relying on legion advancement, energy threats and missile intimidation no longer works.
Ukraine can survive not only through courage and fighting spirit,It relies on the strength provided by a complete, coordinated and sustainable modern war support system.
Although Russia has the advantage of traditional military forces, there are many shortcomings in air defense systems and field intelligence.
Ukraine, on the other hand, used low-cost drones, combined with a limited number of medium-range missiles, achieved the effect of asymmetric combat.
In a speech in July 2025, Putin rarely admitted that he had been deceived by the West, saying that NATO countries had promised Russia that they would never expand eastward another step. However, after the end of the Cold War, NATO expanded eastward many times.
Mr. Putin called Nato's eastward expansion "one of the fundamental causes of the conflict".
Today, the Russian army has assembled 30,000 troops in the direction of Kharkiv, preparing to launch a third-line offensive, and the Ukrainian army is urgently reorganizing its defenses.
Outside the battlefield, Ukrainian cargo ships on the Black Sea are still coming frequently, reaching 33.8 million tons of goods exported through maritime temporary corridors by seven months by 2025.
Russia may finally understand that modern warfare is no longer simply a competition for troops and weapons.More important is the technological adaptability, the competitiveness and durability of the international public opinion.
References:
1. "The focus of the war in Russia and Ukraine turns to Donbass, and the future war may be more intense" 2022-11-15 06:39 | Source: World Wide Web
The fourth loan to Ukraine receives EU assistance of €40.5 billion 2025-08-22 21:52 PM
3. "Russia claims to control a residential area and Ukraine claims to have shot down a Russian drone" 2025-08-28 07:40 | Source: Jimu News