Der Ukraine-Krieg nähert sich seinem Ende

Oleg Petrasiuk’s unit is stationed outside the ruined city of Chasiv Yar in the eastern [Donbas](https://inews.co.uk/topic/donbas?srsltid=AfmBOopQUopc29DO4Le1MAty4zIxy3D93vkFQbAH7Wp00WCWKTUQ3jXm&ico=in-line_link) region, one of the deadliest parts of Ukraine’s 750-mile front.

Soldiers rarely see the enemy outside a drone console, said Petrasiuk, spokesperson for the 24th mechanised brigade.

“There is more war in the sky than on the ground,” he said. “More casualties but less direct contact.”

The brigade’s drones share a 20km no-man’s land dubbed “the kill zone” with those of the Russians, Petrasiuk said, waiting for any target to reveal itself: artillery, infantry and especially enemy drone pilots.

The brigade has seen off numerous Russian assaults and inflicted heavy casualties over 18 months in their position, he claimed, but admitted there was little prospect of regaining ground.

“We don’t talk about assault, we are defending here,” he said.

As the [war in Ukraine](https://inews.co.uk/topic/russia-ukraine-war?srsltid=AfmBOoqfxb_COAueyZtg12XoAZ5YiAul480XC1W0Y8GplH-3YIRZ4Yx1&ico=in-line_link) enters a fifth year – approaching the length of the First World War – it has become intensely localised, as with the fighting around Chasiv Yar. But it is also increasingly globalised, drawing in fighters from North Korea and Colombia, with each side dependent on patrons in China, Europe and the US.

With combined casualties [nearing two million](https://www.csis.org/analysis/russias-grinding-war-ukraine) – the Russian toll is estimated to be about twice that of Ukraine – the front line has remained static. The human toll and economic devastation has brought both sides close to exhaustion, with some analysts questioning their ability to continue to fight.

“I think it’s likely that we are heading into the last year of the war,” said John Helin, founder of conflict monitor Black Bird Group. “With the Russian casualties and economy, and Ukraine’s manpower problems and tensions in society, we are coming to a point where neither side can effectively fight this war.”

Perceived existential stakes and support from foreign allies have helped to sustain the respective war efforts over four years. The most concerted international effort yet to achieve a ceasefire has brought the [prospect of a deal to end it closer](https://inews.co.uk/news/zelensky-trump-june-deadline-end-war-4221620?ico=in-line_link), although critical differences remain.

But if no deal can be struck, the war could yet escalate further, with [China](https://inews.co.uk/topic/china?srsltid=AfmBOoq9SnwdFzp0-ImIwvSu1M-65Vet9YslYzE4uwOVllG8wGVHTpmy&ico=in-line_link) a growing factor and signs of a new [nuclear race](http://google.com/search?q=inews+nuclear+weapons&rlz=1C1GCEA_en&oq=inews+nuclear+weapons&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIICAEQABgWGB4yDQgCEAAYhgMYgAQYigUyDQgDEAAYhgMYgAQYigUyDQgEEAAYhgMYgAQYigUyBwgFEAAY7wUyCggGEAAYogQYiQUyCggHEAAYogQYiQUyBwgIEAAY7wUyBwgJEAAY7wXSAQgyNjc5ajBqNKgCALACAQ&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8).

These articles are all the same. The war is always just about to end, and Ukraine always has the key to deciding to end it.

This is nonsense.

The only path available to Ukraine to quickly end this 12 year war is to recruit several hundred foreign F-16, Rafale, and Gripen pilots, and then receive a few thousand Meteors and HARMs.

Aside from that, the only other quick way for the war to end would be the collapse of the Russian central government.

There are other paths to the war ending, a few in Russia’s favor and many in Ukraine’s favor, but they are all long timelines.