has sent anti-tank, anti-air, and anti-ship missiles, air defense systems, and other weapons Slovakia the S-300 air defense system the U.S. Ukraine’s relative success is due in part to the weapons at least 31 western governments have been donating. Read More: Inside Volodymyr Zelensky’s World This is, however, many, many fewer than Russia’s casualties, believed to be over 35,000, and buttressed by an astonishing loss of weapons and equipment, such as tanks and warships. Over two and a half months into the war, Ukraine’s losses are at least 10% of their now undoubtedly exhausted army of under 250,000. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense is not releasing combat casualty numbers to maintain morale, but experts believe it has lost at least 25,000 troops - up to 11,000 deaths and 18,000 wounded -since the February 24 invasion. Viewed this way, not losing looks a lot more like losing than winning.

Cumulatively, this accounts for an increase of Russian occupied territory from approximately 7%, including Crimea, before February more than double that now. They also have about 70% of Zaporizhye region.

For example, whereas Ukrainian authorities controlled approximately 60% of Luhansk before the recent Russian invasion, now Russian forces control over 80% of the region. Putin’s army holds Kherson, whatever is left of Mariupol, all the intervening territory, and now not only Luhansk and Donetsk but the entire Donbas Oblast. Nonetheless, Russia now controls significantly more Ukrainian territory than before February 24. While cheering on the scrappy, outmatched Ukrainians, we could also assuage some of our shame at leaving them-to whom we had made promises of protection, “ security guarantees”-to die alone in the snow and the mud. His defiance against the odds gave us someone to root for against a bully. This is why Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has appealed so successfully to the world. It fuels hope for our ordinary selves and allows us to feel we are on the morally superior side. We love a plucky little guy who beats the odds. Ukraine is in far worse shape than commonly believed and needs, and will continue to need, a staggering amount of aid and support to actually win. The difference between expectations and the surprising resilience of Ukraine’s military makes it easy to misinterpret the current situation in Ukraine’s favor. It has been said that, given how massively Ukrainian troops were believed be outmatched early in Russia’s invasion, not losing the war is itself a form of victory for Ukraine.

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