By Prof. Sudhakar Panda in Bhubaneswar, September 25, 2026: On 24th February, 2022 Russia launched an attack on Ukraine ostensibly for the reason that Ukraine was getting closer to the United States and planning to join NATO which the Russian President Putin felt would pose a direct threat to his country’s sovereignty. Russian attack on Ukraine came from its Army, Navy and Air force.

The United States, UK, France and Germany declared their moral support for Ukraine and provided Ukraine with material support including arms and ammunitions matching Russia’s arms and weapons used in its war against Ukraine. The Western Nations imposed sanctions on Russia. American Companies operating in Russia closed down their operations. Russia’s Bank Accounts were seized.

Notwithstanding the sanctions to create difficulties for Russia in its war with Ukraine the Russia-Ukraine war has over the years been continuing and escalating as well. “On June 1st Ukraine launched one of the most daring raids in the modern history of warfare releasing killer drones from trucks to scavenge on strategic bombers deep inside Russia, reimaging old types of sabotage and exposing Russia’s vulnerabilities” to avenge Russia.

The Russian-Ukraine war which started on 24th February, 2022 has completed more than four years. Notwithstanding the peace talks between the two countries in Istanbul the drone attacks on Russia by Ukraine gradually escalated. Russia promised retaliation against the Ukrainian attacks. The war to the dismay of the people of the world continues in full vigor even today.

The continuity in war has created a tense situation and the whole world is worried about the adverse economic impact the war would have on the world economy. The war as it is having been causing untold damage to their respective economies and insufferable human misery including death and destruction of cities particularly the Ukraine cities making the residents homeless and refugees in other countries.

The Indian students studying in medical and technical institutions in the different universities and medical institutions in Ukraine were affected. Given the conflict between the two countries and the fear that gripped the students the Indian embassy advised all the Indian nationals to leave Ukraine. Students were evacuated from Ukraine by the Government of India under the “Operation Ganga” initiative in special flights and brought back to the country. The young medical students faced a challenge to their career.

Thanks to the efforts of the Indian Embassy in Ukraine that the Samarkand State Medical University in Uzbekistan accommodated more than 1,000 Indian medical students from Ukraine. Other students who were brought to India decided to go back to Ukraine to pursue their studies. One has to appreciate the terrible mental agony and suffering the students passed through at that time. The beautiful part of the evacuation was that some of the Pakistani students holding the Indian National Flag along with Indian students left Ukraine.

India took a principled stand in the war between Russia and Ukraine consistent with its national interests that the two warring nations, namely Russia and Ukraine should stop their hostilities and settle their differences through mutual negotiations and restore peace in the region. The Indian Prime Minister despite the pressure from the USA and its allies did not condemn Russia but urged for peace to prevail between the two nations. USA and its allies imposed economic sanctions on Russia.

Russia in retaliation stopped supplying gas and oil to these countries. And to alleviate the impact of the sanctions Russia sold oil to India at a discount. Despite the stiff opposition from the western quarters India continued to purchase Russian oil and maintained its cordial diplomatic relations with Russia. Indian diplomacy showed maturity at the international level by abstaining from voting against Russia. The war made Russia closer to India for both diplomatic and economic reasons. USA and its allies distanced themselves from India for flouting the sanctions and for not condemning the war.

The impact of Russia-Ukraine war has been felt worldwide including India. There was uncertainty among the wheat importing countries from Ukraine and Russia as both the countries were great producers and exporters of wheat to the world. The war created a gloomy view whether the world could expect an uninterrupted supply chain of management of wheat to the importing countries from both Russia and Ukraine. Countries like Egypt which imports as high as 90% of its wheat requirements from Ukraine and Russia feared uncertainties and price volatilities.

There was a fear in India that import of oil seeds and cereals like barley and corn from Russia could be disrupted. Since Russia was one of the biggest suppliers of the key ingredients in the making of fertilizers their non-availability would affect the production fertilizers in India and therefore agriculture production in the country. Fear of a shortage of cereals like corn, barley and sunflowers oil seeds consumed by humans and animals impacting the Indian market was there.

The indirect involvement of the NATO member countries led by USA in extending their moral, material and armaments to Ukraine and Iran on other hand supplying drones to Russia for its attacks on Ukraine the world in fact was drawn close into a great unforeseen turmoil. The war continues more intensified to day with the use of drones and sophisticated weapons.

Given the violent turn the Russian and Ukraine war has been taking with the use of drones and missiles by both the warring nations, the prospects of peace between the two nations is a distant possibility unless something of a miracle happens. Their human and material loss continues because of the continuity in war. Ukraine on its part has been carrying on the fight with the support of many European countries.

Ukraine to the surprise of Russia launched its ‘broadest’ assaults against air bases in Russia. Russia kept up its missile attacks damaging Kyiv and different regions in Ukraine. The fighting escalated. Prospects of peace between Russia and Ukraine are remote now.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a U.S.-based think tank that compiled the study, cautioned that casualty figures were difficult to estimate. But the tally still presents an accounting of the grinding conflict. Russia’s territorial gains have been slower than even the bogged-down and costly Somme advance of British and French troops in World War I, the study said.

It is said that Russia has seized less than one percent of Ukrainian territory. Given the territorial gain by Russia it is natural that there would be a violent turn in Ukraine-Russian war and Ukraine would try its best to gain back its territory under the Russian occupation. Both the nations have been making use of drones and missiles against each other.

All this continuous acrimony and fighting according to one estimate has resulted in great loss to both the countries .But when one looks at the destruction of life it becomes a harrowing tale as “roughly 1.4 million Ukraine troops and nearly 1 million Russia troops have been killed or wounded. As it is death toll on both the sides keeps on increasing every day.

Talks between the American President Trump and the Russian President Putin held in a cordial atmosphere to end the Russia and Ukraine war and find a fruitful solution to end the war could not succeed in finding a mutually acceptable solution. It was unfortunate that when on the one hand talks were going on between Trump and Putin to end the war and bring peace to the region fighting between the two countries Ukraine and Russia was going on. As it is reported “Russia is pushing hard to grab Ukrainian land by sending in small groups of soldiers on foot, who are harder to detect.

Prospects of peace in the region notwithstanding the talks and negotiations among USA, Russia and Ukraine look remote. On 28th August 2025 Russia launched one of its deadliest attacks on Ukraine. Under such uncertain and unpredictable situations nobody can foresee an early end of the Russia–Ukraine war. As on September 23, the war between the two countries is going on. Russia has been “speeding up its production of long range ballistic missiles” to be used against Ukraine. On the other hand, Ukraine’s dependence on “American Patriot interceptors” has been increasing to counter the Russian missile attacks.

Russia-Ukraine war which has been going on for more than four years shows no signs of an end. Neither Russia nor Ukraine has won the war. On the contrary both the countries have been sustaining loss of properties and loss of human lives. We only hope both the countries will come to an understanding for a peaceful end to the war.

Given the continuous fighting between Russia and Ukraine it must have been putting a lot of physical and psychological pressure on the people of both the countries. Let us hope that the trilateral talks involving America, Russia Ukraine which is scheduled to be held in Abu Dhabi in early October finds a lasting solution to the Russia-Ukraine War.

The entire world including India is in fact passing through a difficult period because of geo-political tensions. It is really difficult to predict an early end to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. India has been taking stock of the situation from time to time and hopes the two countries will solve their conflict peacefully. At the same time, it spares no efforts to keep the nation safe, strong and growing.