100 days of war with Russia. Heavy fighting continues, the world tightens sanctions against Russia and gives Ukraine more weapons, Kremlinʼs plans have failed. Even on the information front

Today, June 3, is the 100th day of Russiaʼs large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Over the past three months, Ukraine has managed not only to thwart the Kremlinʼs plans for a quick victory, but also to force Russian troops to retreat. This united most of the worldʼs leading countries: they increased the pressure on the aggressor country and its ruling elite. Russia managed to occupy part of the South, heavy fighting continues in the Donbas. Therefore, even according to the most optimistic forecasts, the war will last at least until the end of the year. Babel sums up the main results of the first hundred days of the war. As a bonus, we remember the most important Ukrainian military legends and memes, which still support the victorious mood.

Fighting

The full-scale Russian invasion began at about 4 a.m. on February 24, when the first column of Russian tanks entered Luhansk Oblast near the village of Mylove. In about an hour, a large-scale offensive began in other directions: on Kyiv and Chernihiv Oblasts from Belarus, Kharkiv and Sumy Oblasts from Russia, through the demarcation line in the occupied Luhansk and Donetsk Oblasts since 2014, and on the southern part of Ukraine from the occupied Crimea. Russia has also begun firing missiles at airfields and military facilities in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lutsk, Dnipro, and other cities.

The initial plan of the Russian leadership, led by Putin, was something like this: to seize Kyiv in a few days and establish a puppet government, to occupy the entire territory of Ukraine in the several next weeks, or at least its eastern half to the Dnipro river and the south. According to the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov, the new government was to be headed by "Ukrainian citizens with big stars on their shoulder straps", and the Russians planned to assassinate President Zelensky.

Eventually, Russian troops approached the capital almost to its border in the northwest and fairly close in the east. Fierce fighting around Kyiv lasted for more than a month. But the Ukrainian armed forces not only retained the capital, but in early April forced the Russians to withdraw first from Kyiv Oblast, and then from Chernihiv and Sumy Oblasts. Later, the occupiers were repulsed from Kharkiv city.

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After the failure of the initial plans, the Russian leadership changed its rhetoric. They called the retreat from Kyiv "a gesture of a goodwill" and declared a "second phase" of the war — the capture of the entire Donbas and southern Ukraine.

Since the beginning of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian soldiers have killed, tortured, and raped civilians, shelled hospitals and schools, looted, illegally deported Ukrainians to Russia, and committed other war crimes. The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine is already investigating about 6,000 war crimes and has declared suspicions against more than 500 representatives of Russiaʼs military and political leadership. In Kyiv Oblast alone, during the month of occupation, the Russians tortured and killed more than a thousand locals.

Russian war criminals have already been tried in Ukraine. In late May, a 21-year-old Russian sergeant was sentenced to life in prison for killing a civilian in Sumy Oblast. Two more servicemen were sentenced to almost 12 years each for shelling Kharkiv Oblast from Grad volley fire systems.

As of the beginning of June, the Russians managed to capture almost the entire Kherson and Luhansk Oblasts, as well as part of the Zaporizhia, Donetsk, and Kharkiv Oblasts. The occupiers continue to systematically fire missiles at Ukraineʼs infrastructure — railways, oil depots, military facilities, and civilian buildings.

The fiercest fighting is now going on in Donbas. However, the first hundred days of the war showed that the Ukrainian military is able not only to successfully defend but also to advance despite the occupiersʼ significant superiority in equipment and soldiers. According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as of June 2, the Russians lost almost 31,000 troops and about 140,000 units of various military equipment. As for the Ukrainian losses, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky, 60-100 servicemen die and up to 500 are wounded in Donbas every day. According to the UN, since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, the Russians have killed more than 4,000 civilians. However, this figure may be much higher. In Mariupol alone, as the city mayor Vadym Boychenko reports, more than 20,000 people died.

International reaction

On the first day of the large-scale invasion, more than 50 countries and international organizations spoke in support of Ukraine. This led to increased sanctions against Russia. Moreover, the first package of sanctions this year was adopted a few days before the invasion after Russia recognized the "independence" of the pseudo-republics "Luhansk Peopleʼs Republic" and "Donetsk Peopleʼs Republic".

Subsequent sanctions referred the financial, energy, transport, technology, and visa policies. Several Russian banks were disconnected from SWIFT system, Russiaʼs assets abroad were frozen, more than 20 countries have closed airspace for Russian aircraft, some countries have stopped issuing visas to Russians and have begun sending Russian diplomats out of their countries. Belarus also came under sanctions. In addition, the European Union, Britain, the United States, Canada, and Japan have for the first time imposed sanctions not only on Putinʼs inner circle but also on the Russian dictator himself. And Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Canada, and Ireland have recognized the war crimes of the Russian military in Ukraine as the genocide of the Ukrainian people.

The latest, sixth package of sanctions against Russia, provides for a partial embargo on Russian oil imports and the disconnection of Sberbank, Russiaʼs biggest bank, from the SWIFT system. Although Hungary tried to block it, as well as some other sanctions.

During the invasion, more than a thousand companies left Russia or limited their work in the Russian market. Among them are Apple, Google, IKEA, BMW, MasterCard, Netflix, Spotify, and many others.

Ukraine is receiving more and more support from around the world. After the Russian invasion, the process of Ukraineʼs membership in the European Union started moving. Ukraine has already filled in all the necessary documents, and its application for EU membership is planned to be reviewed in June. However, there is no consensus on this issue among EU member states.

The most important international support is military one. The leaders in supply of the weapons are the United States and the United Kingdom, with Germany fluctuating the most. One of the key moments was the meeting at the Ramstein military base in Germany. At the end of April, NATO defense ministers and Allied partners from more than 40 countries gathered there.

The most important international support is the military one. The leaders in supply are the United States and the United Kingdom, with Germany fluctuating the most. One of the key moments was the meeting at the Ramstein military base in Germany. At the end of April, NATO defense ministers and Allied partners from more than 40 countries gathered there. And on May 9, US President Joe Biden signed a law on a lend-lease of military aid to Ukraine without bureaucratic barriers.

Further forecasts

Both Ukraine and the West acknowledge that the war with Russia will be long. The head of US National Intelligence Avril Haynes believes that Putin is counting on a long war in Eastern Europe.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov says that the war against Russia is entering a protracted phase, but there is a gradual shift towards Ukrainian domination on the frontlines. Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, predicts a turning point in the war in August. He is confident that the war will end with the return of all territories of Ukraine. In particular, by the end of the year, the Ukrainian military may probably enter the territory of the occupied Crimea.

Mykhailo Podoliak, an adviser to the head of the Ukrainian Presidentʼs Office, believes that Ukraine can end the war this year. In one of his last interviews, President Volodymyr Zelensky did not predict the time of the end of the war. But he is confident in Ukraineʼs victory: "Victory will be very difficult. It will be bloody, in battle, but the end will definitely be in diplomacy", he said.

Legends, myths, and memes

Already on the first day of the invasion, the phrase "Russian warship, go fuck yourself" became legendary. This is exactly how one of the Ukrainian border guards on the Snake Island responded to the Russiansʼ offer to lay down their arms and surrender. The phrase became so popular that the Ukrainian state postal service issued two military stamps based on it.

The phrase "Good evening, we are from Ukraine!" Has become legendary as well. These are the words with which the chairman of the Mykolayiv Oblast State Administration Vitaliy Kim begins his video addresses. This phrase will be placed on the third military stamp, its design will be voted on later.

In the first days of the invasion, a legend appeared about the Ghost of Kyiv — a Ukrainian ace pilot who destroyed dozens of Russian planes. However, the Ukrainian Air Force later stated that it was "a collective image of the pilots of the 40th Air Force Tactical Aviation Brigade, which protects the sky over the capital".

Another legendary character is the Chernihiv pyrotechnic dog Patron. His popularity has already gone beyond Ukraine. On May 28, Patron received the Palm Dog Humanitarian Award in Cannes.

Another symbol of Ukrainian resilience was a kitchen cabinet and a ceramic rooster that survived the destruction of a house by the Russian occupiers in Borodyanka in Kyiv Oblast. The cabinet was transferred to the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity. A similar rooster of Ukrainian ceramist Prokop Bedasyuk was presented to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson during his visit to Kyiv.

Ukrainians have created many memes with Putin, but his neighbor, dictator Lukashenko, is in the lead in terms of popularity. "And now Iʼll show you where the attack on Belarus was prepared…" — these are the words of Lukashenko in talks with Putin on March 11 about the alleged plans of Ukraine to attack the territory of Belarus quickly became a popular meme.

And, perhaps most importantly, the Ukrainians managed to debunk the myth of the "invincible" Russian army, in particular, with the help of memes. Among the brightest is a meme about Chornobayivka, a small village in Kherson Oblast. The Russians tried several times to gain a foothold at a nearby airfield, but each time they were defeated by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Another popular meme has become Ukrainian tractor drivers who steal military equipment from the occupiers. The American anti-tank complex Javelin and the Turkish strike drone Bayraktar have also become meme characters.

Translated from Ukrainian by Anton Semyzhenko.

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