160 days of Russia-Ukraine War: Thousands dead, global economic crisis, and a Vogue cover

It has been 160 days since Russian armed forces invaded Ukraine. The war has left thousands dead, millions displaced and has affected the economy of the entire world.

The biggest attack on an European country since World War 2 is turning out to be an ugly one as the war enters its sixth month.

According to Reuters calculations, Ukraine has lost control of around 22% of its land to Russia since the 2014 annexation of Crimea.

 

The latest: As Russian forces are trying to take control of Ukraine's east region and get full control over the country's industrial heartland, Ukrainian forces have increased the offensive to reclaim territory in the Russian-occupied south, reported AP.

The Ukrainians have used American-supplied rocket launchers to strike bridges and military infrastructure in the south. This has forced  Russia to divert its forces from the Donbas to the south.

 

Grain shipment leaves Ukraine: In a positive development, the first ship carrying Ukrainian grain set out on Monday from the port of Odessa under an internationally brokered deal to unblock Ukraine's agricultural exports and ease the growing global food crisis.

"The first grain ship since Russian aggression has left port," Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov declared on Twitter.

US weapons: The US will send $550m in a new arsenal of weapons to Ukraine, including ammunition for rocket launchers and artillery guns. Ukraine received a batch of four more US-made high mobility artillery rocket systems (Himars), Ukraine's defence minister said on Monday, reported The Guardian

The bulk of Russian and Ukrainian forces are concentrated in the Donbas, the industrial region of mines and factories.

Death toll: Since February 24, 5,237 civilians have been killed and 7,035 have been injured, though the actual casualties are much higher, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said on July 25.

• Neither Russia nor Ukraine have given details on the military deaths in the conflict.
• US intelligence estimates that some 15,000 Russian soldiers have been killed so far in Ukraine. Ukrainian military losses are also very high, but probably a little less than Russia's, Reuters reported quoting CIA Director William Burns.

Nuclear threat: The United Nations chief has warned that nuclear annihilation is just one miscalculation away, reported The Guardian. At the opening of a nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) conference in New York, Antonio Guterres said that the world faced "a nuclear danger not seen since the height of the cold war." "Humanity is just one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation," he said.

World economy in shambles: The war in Ukraine, the sanctions on Russia and Moscow's decision not to sell oil and gas to several European countries has adversely affected the global economy. It has led to steep rises in the prices of fertiliser, wheat, metals and energy and a severe shortage of fuel supply in Europe.  

• The International Monetary Fund now forecasts the world's economy will grow 3.2% this year, down from 6.1% last year.
• Since the outbreak of war, the European Commission has downgraded GDP growth projections for the 27-nation bloc to 2.7% this year and 1.5% in 2023 from 4.0% and 2.8% respectively, from what was expected before the Russian invasion on February 24th, reported Reuters.

Refugee crisis: Since the war started, one-third of Ukrainians have been forced to leave their homes, the largest current human displacement crisis in the world, said the United Nations refugee agency.

According to the UN data, there are currently more than 6.16 million refugees from Ukraine recorded across Europe, with the biggest numbers in Poland, Russia and Germany.

Also from last week: Ukraine burns, President Zelensky's Vogue cover sets fire to the Internet

Amid the ongoing war, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena Zelenska posed for a Vogue magazine photoshoot. The pictures went viral on social media and the couple was also trolled by many.