Life under the death clock 1,420 days stolen from Ukrainians

Today, the clock, with its inherent impartiality, has marked 1,420 days since the start of the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war. This number exceeds the days and nights of the Great Patriotic War. This fact can shock even those with nerves of steel, as it was unimaginable that, in the 21st century, a bloody conflict could erupt in the very heart of Europe between countries that were once considered brotherly in many parts of the world.

However, it has happened, and, alas, there is no end in sight to this war. To grasp the full scale of the tragedy, one only needs to look at the stark statistics, which can shake even the most composed and rational person to the core.

According to the analytical project DeepState, in 2025, Russia occupied 4,336 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory: “This is roughly 0.72% of Ukraine’s total area. Overall, from January 1, 2023, to January 1, 2026, the increase in occupied territory amounted to 7,463 sq. km, or 1.28% of the country’s total land.” DeepState reports that in total, 116,165 sq. km of Ukrainian land are currently under occupation. That is 19.25% of the country’s territory—roughly every fifth square kilometre.

By waging this war of aggression in violation of all norms of international law, Russia has not only suffered over 1,200,000 military casualties, including killed and wounded, but has also shattered the myth of the “second-largest army in the world,” which failed to fulfil the widely publicised promises made by Russian propagandists to “take Kyiv in three days.”

As for Ukraine, the picture is simply horrifying. According to Bloomberg, citing a report by European governments, in 2025 alone, around 2,400 civilians were killed by Russian occupation forces in Ukraine, and nearly 12,000 were injured—almost 30% more than in 2024. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, the total number of civilian deaths in Ukraine has reached 14,900, while the number of wounded has exceeded 40,000. Among the dead are 758 children, and 2,445 minors have been injured.

Most importantly, millions of Ukrainians have been forced to flee the country. As the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, told Dmytro Gordon in an interview: “Pay attention—11 million Ukrainian citizens have left the country. Eleven! Today, I received an official response from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs—it lists 8.5 million. But we know that many do not register with consulates, so the authorities cannot account for all of them.”

Due to Russia’s invasion, Ukraine has been considered the most heavily mined country in the world for four years. According to the Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI), as of June 2025, 139,000 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory are “laced” with explosives—more than the entire area of England (130,000 sq. km). Over 6 million people live in or near these dangerous areas.

Meanwhile, Paul Heslop, the head of the UN programme for demining Ukraine, noted that nearly 25% of the country’s territory is covered with explosive devices, amounting to over 1 million individual hazards.

Each of the figures mentioned above is alarming in itself, especially considering that this horrific toll will only continue to rise—both in the number of killed and wounded and in those forced to flee the country, escaping the horrors of war. These horrors are not limited to the bloody battles on the front lines but also include the consequences of Russia’s relentless missile and drone strikes on civilian cities, which leave vast numbers of Ukrainians without electricity, heating, gas, or water in temperatures of -15 to -20°C.

This tragedy, which has now lasted longer than the Great Patriotic War, cannot be halted today by the world’s leading powers. Meanwhile, its continuation is inhumanly encouraged by Russian propagandists such as Margarita Simonyan and Vladimir Solovyov, who are equally despised in Kyiv, Baku, and Yerevan.