"The Ghost of Versailles": The War in Ukraine Has Officially Lasted Longer Than World War I - The Economist
Kyiv • UNN
Combat operations in Ukraine have continued for over 1,569 days, surpassing the duration of the First World War. The Economist analyzes the current state of affairs and provides forecasts for the future of Putin's war.
On June 11, Europe crossed a somber milestone. As of that date, the hostilities in Ukraine had lasted longer than the First World War. A conflict that seemed destined to last only a few days when Russian troops confidently stormed Kyiv in February 2022 has outlasted the one some believed would be "over by Christmas" in 1914. This is stated in a piece by The Economist, reports UNN.
Details
Whether in this century or the last, war has defied the best-laid plans of military commands. Soldiers were promised triumphal parades in conquered capitals, but they soon became bogged down, often literally.
Conscripts defending their homeland huddled in trenches, their dugouts turning into quagmires. New weapons—tanks, machine guns, and mustard gas then; drones today—changed the shape of warfare. Men died, families mourned. Maps were updated as towns and villages, or rather what remained of them, changed hands,
It is noted that, unfortunately, a long war does not guarantee a just peace, as the Treaty of Versailles signed in 1919 continued to testify. But the echoes of that failed armistice could be useful for efforts aimed at ending the hostilities in Ukraine.
"The war to end all wars" is remembered today as a prequel to an even more horrific conflict, which it helped midwife a generation later. The ghost of Versailles should haunt those valiantly trying to end the current conflict. Ukraine's allies helped it not to lose the war. Soon they will have to prepare to help it win the peace,
In their view, although serious peace talks remain elusive for now, after 1,568 days of almost continuous fighting, the end of this war should be closer than its beginning.
A recent tentative turn in Ukraine's favor could push Russia to the negotiating table. Territorial gains that the aggressor achieved at a massive cost—about 1,000 Russian men killed or seriously wounded every day—are now being partially reversed. Ukrainian drones are reaching targets deep inside Russia, and every cloud of acrid smoke is a message of humiliation for President Vladimir Putin,
According to the authors' observations, the morale of Ukrainian troops is currently at its peak; President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, "once an exhausted, hollow man, can occasionally smile these days, but his calls to Mr. Putin to begin peace talks... have so far led nowhere."
When an armistice is reached in this conflict, it will differ in flavor from the one signed in the Hall of Mirrors in 1919. Russia will not be a broken, defeated country with no choice but to accept the unrestrained terms of its adversaries. ... No war reparations will be paid, and rulers will not be handed over to international courts. Peace will be a complex, unsatisfactory affair, full of compromises that neither side will want to live with. And yet they will have to, if they want the drones to fall silent,
They summarize that Putin's "loathsome regime is guilty of the worst crimes; the war is his responsibility."
"And yet one day, hopefully soon, he may become a partner in establishing peace," the media outlet adds.
Recall
Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine has been ongoing for over 1,569 days, which is longer than the First World War. During this time, the aggressor has not achieved any of the stated goals of the invasion.