VLADIMIR Putin’s bloodthirsty war machine is starting to run out of steam as would-be recruits realise they are little more than cannon fodder to the mad dictator.
For the first time since the senseless war’s outbreak, the Kremlin is failing to replace with fresh hires.
Russia’s frontline forces are dwindling as the war enters in fifth yearCredit: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Ukrainian forces have killed over a million Russian troops since the war’s outbreakCredit: AP
Volodymyr Zelensky released a defiant video to mark the conflict’s fourth anniversaryCredit: UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SER
Rubbing salt into the wound, arch-nemesis Volodymyr Zelensky has marked the four year anniversary of Russia’s invasion by mocking the damp squib its turned out to be.
Western officials say Russian forces have suffered nearly 40,000 casualties a month since November while managing to recruit only about 35,000 troops.
Ukraine’s fierce counter-offensives have driven , more troops than the United States lost in World War Two.
The Kremlin has laid blame for the massive death squarely at the feet of the West, claiming: “the conflict has become a much larger confrontation with those who want to crush our country”.
Al Carns, the UK Armed Forces minister, told the Telegraph that Moscow’s efforts to train and attract new recruits are “becoming more and more difficult”, with even hefty financial incentives losing their pull.
“People are realising that it’s a one-way ticket,” he said.
Attempts to broker a peace deal have stalled due to Putin’s imperialist demands, to reach an agreement.
At present, no dates are confirmed for the next round of talks, according to the Kremlin.
Moscow is demanding that Ukraine cede the entire Donbas region – purportedly to “ensure the security of those who lived or live in Eastern Ukraine”.
Zelensky has claimed the Russian despot .
Russia has sought to lure volunteers from poorer regions with signing bonuses of up to $50,000 (£40,000), but analysts question how long the economy can sustain such payouts.
About 87 per cent of Moscow’s losses are now attributed to drone strikes, which dominate the battlefield.
Zelensky, meanwhile, taunted Putin by showing off the underground bunker he has used to evade Russian missiles for nearly half a decade.
The Ukrainian also ridiculed the tyrant’s failure to make good on a promise to capture Kyiv within 72 hours of the invasion.
“Today marks exactly four years since Putin promised to seize Kyiv in three days,” he said, goading the Kremlin leader.
“And this speaks volumes about our resistance, about how Ukraine has been fighting all this time.
Zelensky also mocked Vladimir Putin’s failure to make good on his promise of a swift victoryCredit: AP
The Ukrainian leader lays flowers for the victims in Kyiv’s Maidan SquareCredit: Unknown
Zelensky also showed off the bunker he has used to evade Russian missilesCredit: UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SER
“Behind these words are millions of our people, great courage, hard work, perseverance, and a long journey that Ukraine has been making since February 24, 2022.
“Looking back at the beginning of the invasion and looking at today, we have every right to say: we defended our independence, we did not lose our statehood, Putin did not achieve his goals.
“He did not break the Ukrainians, he did not win this war.
“We preserved Ukraine, and we will do everything to achieve peace and justice. Glory to Ukraine!”
The Kremlin has meanwhile admitted that “many” Ukraine war aims have not yet been achieved, but ominously said they will fight until they are.
Triumphant footage shows Zelensky strolling around the underground complex that kept him and Ukraine’s top brass safe earlier in the war.
“We had never shown this facility before,” he said.
“At the beginning of the war there were hundreds of people here.
“I worked here, then went upstairs to address you.
The Ukrainian military has shown its mettle with fierce counteroffensivesCredit: via REUTERS
Entire cities have been levelled by Russian attacksCredit: 93RD SEPARATE MECHANIZED BRIGADE
“Our team was here, the government, daily military meetings, calls, searching for solutions.”
He showed a “small room in the bunker on Bankova” where “I had my first conversations with world leaders at the beginning of the war.
“Here I spoke with President [Joe] Biden. It was here that I heard: ‘Volodymyr, there is a threat, you must urgently leave Ukraine. We are ready to help with this.’
“And here I replied that I needed weapons, not a ride.”
As the fourth anniversary dawned, Moscow was hit overnight by a mysterious “suicide bombing” at Savelyevsky railway station in which senior police lieutenant Denis Bratuschenko, 34, was killed.
The alleged bomber died soon after approaching a police patrol car when there was an explosion, according to Russian law enforcement.
Meanwhile, a policewoman was killed and dozens more were wounded in a Lviv “terrorist bombing”.
And in Mykolaiv, a further seven officers were hurt in another blast.
“The enemy is deliberately trying to kill Ukrainian police officers who stand guard every day,” said a police chief.
Ukrainian military drones wreaked flight havoc on Russia’s main seaport, Sochi, with hundreds of delays and disruptions.
Ukraine also targeted Russian positions on military airfields in occupied Crimea.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa also touched down in Kyiv earlier today.
“We are in Kyiv for the tenth time since the beginning of the war,” said von der Leyen.
“To confirm that Europe is steadfastly supporting Ukraine financially, militarily, and throughout this harsh winter.”
Ukraine's Four Years of Resistance
The full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, when Russian forces launched a multi-pronged assault on Kyiv, Kharkiv, and the south.
What was initially predicted to be a days-long “special military operation” shifted into a protracted war of attrition after Ukrainian forces successfully repelled the siege of the capital in early 2022.
By the autumn of that year, Ukraine regained significant territory in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions, though the conflict soon settled into a brutal, static frontline in the Donbas.
The following years were defined by grueling battles for cities like Bakhmut and Avdiivka, alongside a surge in drone warfare and deep-strike capabilities.
By the third anniversary in 2025, the war had seen the inclusion of foreign reinforcements, such as North Korean troops supporting Russian offensives, and a bold Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.
As the war marks its fourth anniversary, the conflict remains the deadliest in Europe since World War II.
Despite intensifying Russian strikes on energy infrastructure and a growing humanitarian funding gap, Ukraine continues to hold approximately 80% of its sovereign territory.
Donald Trump continues to push international diplomatic efforts persist with meetings in cities like Abu Dhabi and Geneva, yet a definitive peace remains elusive as both sides enter a fifth year of high-intensity combat.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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