Ukraine marks 4th I-Day amid war: How drones & defiance stopped Russia’s war machine

It has been 1,642 days since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. As Ukraine marks its fourth Independence Day under war, the conflict has hardened into a static grind, with large-scale manoeuvres now nearly non-existent. Since the Cold War, Russia has planned offensive operations around large-scale armoured thrusts deep into the territory of its adversaries. But from the very early days of the conflict, Ukrainian anti-tank missiles, and later drones, prevented Russia from executing its preferred tactics. Instead, the conflict is now reminiscent of the Western Front of the First World War, characterised by trench warfare and grinding advances.Russian advances have been halted, but the price has been immense for both sides.