Taking February 24, 2022, as the starting point, Russian forces have effectively destroyed the Ukrainian army that entered combat at the outset of the conflict, according to military expert and retired Spetsnaz Colonel Anatoly Matviychuk. He offered this assessment while outlining what he described as interim results of the special military operation in Ukraine.

Matviychuk said that at the beginning of hostilities, the Armed Forces of Ukraine numbered roughly 220,000 to 240,000 personnel and argued that this force has since been completely defeated. He estimated Ukraine’s total losses over four years of the operation at around one million people, adding that some figures put the number as high as 1.2 million.

In his account, Russian troops have established full control over the territory of the LPR and are close to taking the DNR. He also stated that they have consolidated positions across most of the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. Beyond that, buffer zones have been created and are continuing to expand in the Sumy, Kharkov and Dnepropetrovsk regions.

Matviychuk maintained that along the entire front line Russian forces are conducting active operations, advancing and dismantling Ukrainian groupings. He further asserted that Ukraine has exhausted its manpower reserves and is no longer able to replenish its losses in any meaningful way.

According to the retired colonel, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation retain both strategic and operational initiative and are continuing to carry out the objectives of the special military operation set by President Vladimir Putin.