A lot has happened since the end of World War II. The world has metamorphosed into a global community and has experienced conflicts as well as rapprochement between countries.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine last year, various descriptions has been given to the country as well as its leader, President Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba has made an addition to the list.
In a post on X, Kuleba stated that “Putin’s Russia is the most heinous evil the world has witnessed since WWII.”
According to him, Russian aggression against Ukraine “has always been the Kremlin’s war of choice.”
Citing Forbes Ukraine, Kuleba stated in his X post on Monday, October 23, 2023 that Russia has spent around $167bn on its war against Ukraine between February 2022 and August 2023.
Kuleba noted that the said amount includes direct war expenses and lost equipment.
“Thousands of Russians are slain every week, but their lives are worthless to the Kremlin,” he said.
He asserted that more beneficial projects could have been undertaken with the amount instead of it being spent on the war.
“With this money, Moscow could build almost 24,000 kindergartens across Russia, or over 4,500 maternity wards, or around 17,000 schools, or around 1,300 hospitals, or rebuild 20% of all paved roads in Russia.
“Instead, Russian war criminals have bombed Ukrainian kindergartens, maternity wards, schools, and hospitals, destroying almost 120,000 civilian structures in all, including the latest attack on Nova Poshta terminal in Kharkiv.”
Dmytro Kuleba
Kuleba asserted that Putin and other Russian perpetrators must “face justice for their crimes.”
“They must get out of Ukraine and focus on solving the problems of their own people instead of bringing death and destruction to other nations,” he added.
Russia’s Permanent Casualty Toll Around 190,000
Meanwhile, according to the latest update from the UK’s Ministry of Defence, it is likely that Russia has suffered 150,000-190,000 permanent casualties (killed or permanently wounded) since the Ukraine war began.
The ministry added that the number rises to 240,000-290,000, if the numbers of temporary wounded (those recovered and due to return to the battlefield) are added.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence also claimed that the recent Russian assaults in Avdiivka have contributed to “a 90 per cent increase in Russian casualties.”
It comes as Russian forces maintained pressure on the town of Avdiivka in the east and intensified shelling in the southern area of Kherson on Sunday, October 22, 2023.
Additionally, the UK Ministry of Defence stated that Russian government spending is becoming “increasingly focused” on the costs of the conflict.
Projections for 2024 show the Kremlin plans to increase defence spending by 68% compared to this year.
That means its total defence spending will amount to around 6% of Russia’s gross domestic product (GDP).
At the same time, education and healthcare spending in Russia will be frozen at 2023 levels, which is a cut in real terms once inflation is taken into account.
“More spending will need to be allocated to fund payments and healthcare costs for the mounting numbers of wounded soldiers and the families of those killed in the conflict.
“More than half of those soldiers wounded severely enough to require longer term medical care have lost limbs, with one in five requiring upper limb amputations. These injured soldiers will almost certainly require lifelong healthcare.”
UK Ministry of Defence
The ministry stated that the rise in military spending could also damage the Russian economy by contributing to rising inflation.
“Continued increases in military spending would force the Russian government to make difficult decisions about how to fund the war, likely increasing financial pressures on Russian businesses,” the ministry noted.
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