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Writer's pictureBelinda McMartin
Dec 31, 20244 min read

Russia's Slow Advance: An Update on the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, 2024.

To read previous blogs on the Russian invasion of Ukraine click here. 


Throughout 2024, though the Russian invasion of Ukraine has remained in the news, the situation in Israel-Palestine has captured the headlines. The carnage continues to mount, and the atrocities being committed are simply unbelievable.


Back in Ukraine, the war has gone on longer than many could have imagined but with the world’s eyes on the Israel-Palestine conflict and the growing influence of third-parties there, the Russian invasion of Ukraine appeared to be sitting stagnant, however in recent months Russian forces seem to be making small advances.


There have been two major Russian advances this year which has resulted in the loss of Ukrainian territory, but Ukraine also made their first major incursion into Russian territory. The Russian attacks on Ukraine continue daily, sadly this is the new norm for the people of Ukraine.


On 17 February 2024 Russian forces captured Avdiivka, which had been a Ukrainian stronghold and been considered the gateway to Donetsk. In the process of capturing the town, 16,000 Russian men were noted as being killed. At the time Ukraine was facing a lack of ammunition which meant the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Avdiivka. Almost the entire population of 30,000 people have now left the town, leaving it abandoned but due to the fighting most of the town lays in ruins anyway. Over the coming months Russian troops continued the advance north-west expanding their control.


Three months later, on 10 May 2024, Russia once again began a renewed offensive in the Kharkiv region which resulted in Russian forces capturing dozens of villages. Ukrainian forces evacuated over 11,000 people in what was one of the most significant ground assaults by Russian forces on Ukrainian territory.


It wasn’t until 6 August 2024 that Ukraine launched a major offensive, when troops began an incursion into the Russian Kursk Oblast. By the 15 August the Russian town of Sudzha had been captured. This attack caught Russian authorities by surprise which meant that Russian forces had to be redirected to this site. Despite the advance by Ukrainian troops into Russia, the Russian advance through eastern Ukraine continued.


In another representation of nothing being safe in a war zone, one more Ukrainian Museum was destroyed. On 24 August 2024 the Huliaipole Local Museum in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast was hit by a Russian attack. The museum’s main exhibitions paid tribute to local Ukrainian anarchist Nestor Makhno, who established a movement involving the local peasantry between 1918-1921 promoting communism and anarchy.


Born into a peasant family, he was imprisoned for many years as a result of his anarchist action however during the 1917 Russian Revolution he was freed and returned home to lead the local revolution. He initially sided with the Russian Bolsheviks against the Ukrainian nationalists however he led his compatriots against the Bolshevik invasion of Ukraine in 1920.


With the arrival of the Russian White Army in November 1920, the two sides joined together once again however after they drove the White Army out of Ukraine, the Bolsheviks turned on Makhno and he was forced to flee to Paris where he remained for the rest of his life, until his death due to Tuberculosis in 1934, aged just 45.

Fire destroys the Huliaipole Local Museum in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast after it was hit by a Russian attack on 24 August 2024 (Image: State Emergency Service of Ukraine)
Fire destroys the Huliaipole Local Museum in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast after it was hit by a Russian attack on 24 August 2024 (Image: State Emergency Service of Ukraine)

As the final months of 2024 closed out another year of war, Russian forces seemed to be capturing more and more Ukrainian territory. The image below, shared by the BBC, shows how Russia has managed to gain small strides into Ukrainian territory.


According to the Center for Preventive Action, a US based organisation, Russia still holds 18% of Ukrainian’s territory.


There is no one factually agreed upon total that truly represents the horrors of this war. The United Nations estimates that since 2022 approximately 12,300 Ukrainian civilians have been killed and over 27,000 have been injured. The number of Ukrainian military personnel killed fluctuates to an extreme extent depending on the source however the most commonly noted figure is around 60,000. By comparison at least 100,000 Russian soldiers are confirmed as having been killed, illustrating just how much Russia is willing to sacrifice its own people for these small advances. In some reports this number rises as high as 500,000.


As another year draws to a close, the invasion continues. It is hard to look forward to the new year when it seems this unnecessary conflict will continue.


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Further Reading:


*This blog has been put together with multiple current news sources such as the BBC World News Podcast and local nightly news and media outlets.


Articles and Websites:


Disclaimer: The observations and comments made in this blog are made after reflecting on the news stories and histories I read. History plays a big part in how I understand the present so my comments largely take into account history and the role it has in the present. After all, those who do not learn from history are destined to repeat it.

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