The war is in its fifth year, with Russian forces slowly expanding territory control, mostly in eastern Ukraine. According to analysts at the US-based Institute for the Study of War, Russia took about 4,700 sq km of territory in 2025, while Russia claims to have taken 6,000 sq km. Russia has been trying to gain full control of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. In February this year, President Zelensky said 55,000 soldiers have been killed since the start of the war. According to other Ukrainian sources cross-referenced by the BBC, the number of Ukrainians killed could be as high as 200,000. The number of Russian casualties is harder to measure but is estimated to be considerably more by the British government. The BBC has confirmed the names of almost 160,000 people killed fighting on Russia's side.
The Russo-Ukrainian war began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Russia occupied and annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 following a disputed referendum. Russia supported separatist armed groups in the Donbas region, leading to the Donbas war. In February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, marking the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II.
Key military events have shaped the conflict since 2022. On June 30, Russian forces were driven from Snake Island in the Black Sea. Snake Island was taken by Russia in the early hours of the war and its recapture degraded Russia's ability to project force in the western Black Sea. The Russian defense ministry characterized their retreat from Snake Island as a gesture of good will toward Ukraine. Russian forces captured Lysychansk in the first week of July, giving Russia control of the last major population centers in Luhansk oblast. Russian forces spent six months attempting assaults on Bakhmut in Donetsk oblast without success. Ukrainian forces used American-supplied HIMARS to damage bridges around Russian-occupied Kherson in late July. On August 9, a massive explosion at a Russian air base in Crimea destroyed as many as nine aircraft.
International involvement has created complex geopolitical developments. North Korea and Russia signed an agreement on October 30, 2024, to cooperate in digital communications. The South Korean government intends to send personnel to Ukraine to monitor North Korean troops. Elon Musk's decision to deny Russian forces access to Starlink has given Ukraine an advantage. A US-backed peace plan suggested Ukraine could cede control of Luhansk, Donetsk, Crimea, and occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson to Moscow.
Why are you here? Some people even ask this question because they think that everything is good and you can return back.
The UK government has provided substantial support to Ukraine. The UK will provide an additional £2.26bn to Ukraine under the Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration Loans scheme. This loan will be repaid using profits generated from immobilised Russian sovereign assets. The UK has committed £3bn a year of military support to Ukraine for as long as it takes. Ukrainian visas in the UK were extended by 18 months from March 2025.
Russian covert operations have extended to UK territory. The government recently said Russia conducted a covert operation over British cables and pipelines in the UK.
Ukrainian refugees in Europe face uncertain futures. Around 60% of Ukrainian refugees hope to return one day, and fewer than 10% wish to stay permanently in their host country. Two-thirds of Ukrainian refugees in Europe are considering moving back to Ukraine. Ukrainian refugees in Europe have access to job markets, healthcare, schools, and housing under temporary protection schemes. The employment rate for refugees across Europe is around 45%, with refugee unemployment at 14% compared to 5.1% among host country nationals. Some Ukrainian refugees complain of wage discrimination.
In Gloucestershire, personal stories highlight the human cost of displacement. Mariia Hamal and her family came to Gloucestershire in 2022 as refugees. Mariia Hamal was 15 when the war started four years ago. Anna Danilchenko has been living in Stroud with her husband and teenage son since 2022. Anna Danilchenko's family is originally from Kyiv and hasn't been back since the war for fear of their own safety.
I live in two realities, one is here, you have to manage your life here and the other one is what is happening with your relatives away.
Local aid efforts in Gloucestershire continue despite declining public interest. Ukrainians and aid workers in Gloucestershire have expressed surprise that the war with Russia is continuing. Laura Bullivant, from Gloucester, regularly delivers lorries full of goods from the UK to Ukraine. When Russia began its full-scale invasion in 2022, there was a flurry of donations and deliveries, but interest has slowed. William Jackson is the Ukraine Lead for the Rotary Club, based in Gloucester, sorting donations including medical supplies, ambulances and body armour.
Ukraine itself has become a destination for some asylum seekers. There were 106 asylum applications in Ukraine in 2024, with 34 from Russia, 17 from Tajikistan, and eight from Belarus. In 2024, Ukraine's reception centres had a capacity of 421 places but were accommodating only 2 people at year-end.
The exact number of Ukrainian military casualties remains unclear due to conflicting reports between official figures and higher estimates from other sources. The full extent of Russian casualties is not definitively known, with only estimates available from the British government and media organizations like the BBC.
The long-term intentions of Ukrainian refugees in Europe regarding permanent settlement or return are not fully detailed, though surveys indicate a majority hope to return eventually. The specific impact of declining public awareness in the UK on aid and support for Ukraine is not quantified, though aid workers report decreased engagement.
The effectiveness of recent UK financial support to Ukraine in altering the course of the war is not assessed, despite substantial commitments from the British government. Tewkesbury Borough Council condemns Russia's invasion of Ukraine and has no direct financial links with Russia.
About 11 Ukrainians a month are still seeking safety in Gloucestershire, with over 1,700 having settled since 2022.