International

What you need to know about Russia’s war on Ukraine — by the numbers

Russia’s war in Ukraine is taking a devastating toll on the Ukrainian civilian population as Moscow accelerates attacks on nonmilitary targets.

The fighting has led to a historic flight from Ukraine by refugees, some of whom have been caught in the crossfire. 

The war has no end in sight despite talks between Kyiv and Moscow about ending the fighting, which have had no success. Ukraine’s forces have limited the Russian onslaught, but many foreign observers remain skeptical they will be able to hold out against Russia’s much larger army.

Here is the war by the numbers as it closes its second week.

2 million have fled Ukraine

The United Nations announced on Tuesday that around 2 million people have already left Ukraine due to the fighting.

The number of refugees is not expected to slow, as almost 500,000 people left on Sunday alone. The individuals have fled to neighboring countries such as Poland, Romania and Hungary. 

Almost half of the individuals who fled Ukraine have gone to Poland, which has reported around 1 million Ukrainian refugees at its border. 

Approximately 474 civilians have been killed 

The United Nations said on Tuesday that it could confirm that 474 civilians have been killed during the invasion so far, with the agency saying it “believes that the real figures are considerably higher.”

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said among the dead are 29 children.

Along with the deaths, the office said at least 861 individuals have been injured.

Around 20 countries giving weapons to Ukraine

Around 20 countries are supplying weapons to Ukraine to fight off the Russian invasion. 

The countries are made up of mostly NATO and European Union nations, The New York Times reported.

Some of the countries include Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia, the Netherlands, Greece, Slovakia and others. 

More than 13,000 anti-war protesters detained in Russia 

Russia has arrested more than 13,000 anti-war protesters since the invasion began to March 6, according to protest monitoring group OVD-Info.

The group says the protesters have been arrested in 147 cities across Russia. 

“I remain concerned about the use of repressive legislation that impedes the exercise of civil and political rights and criminalizing non-violent behavior,” United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said Tuesday. 

More than 20,000 foreign nationals volunteer to fight for Ukraine

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Sunday said more than 20,000 people have volunteered to fight for Ukraine against Russia. 

The volunteers come from 52 countries, according to Kuleba, but he would not elaborate on how many were in Ukraine and which countries they were from since some nations do not let citizens fight for foreign militaries, The Associated Press reported

“The whole world today is on Ukraine’s side not only in words but in deeds,” Kuleba said.

Russia has launched around 670 missiles at Ukraine

A senior U.S. defense official said Tuesday that Russia has launched around 670 missiles in Ukraine.

The official said the missiles have been launched from four areas: inside Ukraine, inside Russia, inside Belarus and from the Black Sea. Most of the missiles have been launched from either Ukraine or Russia.

“Very little of the nation of Ukraine is not covered by some sort of Russian surface-to-air missile capability, and they also are conducting offensive airstrikes through missiles launched by aircraft as well as by mobile launchers,” the official said. “It’s very contested airspace.”  

Thousands of Russian and Ukrainian troops dead

The fighting has caused thousands of troops on both sides of the war to be killed in less than two weeks.

Ukrainian authorities have claimed an estimated 11,000 Russian troops have been killed, while the U.S. has said Russia sustained between 2,000 to 4,000 casualties. 

Russia has claimed Ukraine has lost 2,870 troops and had more than 3,500 injured as of last Friday, The Washington Post reported. Ukrainian officials have disavowed those numbers but have not given their own estimates.

More than 2,000 international students stuck in Ukraine

The Ukrainian minister of Reintegration of Temporary Occupied Territories said more than 2,000 international students were stuck in Ukraine amid the invasion, according to a group of independent Ukrainian journalists working inside and outside the country

The minister said these students, including 700 Indian students, are in areas that are temporarily occupied or surrounded by the Russian military.

Other known students are from countries such as Turkey, Pakistan and China. 

211 schools damaged from Russian shelling

Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, Serhiy Shkarlet, said 211 schools have been damaged from Russian shelling since the war started.

“Every day the number of damaged or destroyed schools is increasing. There are already 211 schools damaged or completely destroyed by Russian shelling since February 24,” Shkarlet said, according to the Ukrainian journalist group.

Schools have been closed since the invasion began but some areas are looking to reopen the buildings as soon as possible. 

At least 26 Russians sanctioned by U.S.

As part of the U.S.’s retaliatory response against Russia for its aggression, the country has sanctioned at least 26 Russians

The sanctioned Russians include oligarchs and high-profile politicians, with the White House saying it is targeting those closest to Putin. 

Among the sanctioned individuals are Putin himself; Sergei Victorovich Lavrov, Russia’s minister of foreign affairs; and Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of Russia’s parliament.