What did 100 days of war look like?

What does a hundred days of war amount to? On 3 June 2022, the hundredth day of Russia's invasion, the answers came from several directions at once: a presidential video address, a humanitarian assessment, a diplomatic meeting in Sochi and a road to Sievierodonetsk.

A message for day 100

President Volodymyr Zelensky marked the milestone with a video address described at the time as sad but resolute. He appeared together with the prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, and his adviser Mykhailo Podolyak. The president said Ukraine had been defending its country for 100 days and that victory would be Ukraine's, closing with the words "Glory to Ukraine".

The scale of the damage

The International Committee of the Red Cross offered a starker measure. It said the scale of destruction after only 100 days was beyond comprehension. Its director-general, Robert Mardini, noted that a third of the population had been forced to flee in that short period.

The road to Sievierodonetsk

The fighting in the east remained intense. Battles continued for control of Sievierodonetsk. According to Serhiy Haidai, head of the Luhansk regional military administration, Russian forces already controlled 80 per cent of the territory. On 3 June, two Reuters journalists were injured and their driver was killed when their vehicle was attacked while travelling to the city. The perpetrators were not identified.

A day earlier, on 1 June, Russian forces shelled the Sviatohirsk Lavra monastery, killing three civilians.

Ukrainian gains in the south

The picture was not one-sided. On 2 June, Ukrainian officials said the Armed Forces of Ukraine had recaptured 20 settlements in Kherson Oblast, part of the southern offensive.

Weapons from abroad

The days leading up to the hundredth were also marked by announcements of foreign military aid. On 1 June, the UK defence secretary, Ben Wallace, said Britain had agreed to send more M270 multiple launch rocket systems to Ukraine and to train Ukrainian forces to use them. The UK announced the deliveries again on 2 June. Germany said on 1 June that it would send the IRIS-T air defence missile system, following a Ukrainian request for heavy weapons. On 2 June, Sweden announced further military aid including anti-ship missiles, anti-tank guided missiles and rifles for the Ukrainian Ground Forces.

Russia responded on 1 June to the US decision to supply advanced long-range rocket systems and munitions. It said the move could widen the conflict and risked direct confrontation with Russia, and it accused Washington of purposefully and diligently adding fuel to the fire.

Grain and diplomacy

On 3 June, in Sochi, Vladimir Putin met Senegal's president, Macky Sall. According to the Kremlin, they discussed the food and grain crisis, which was caused by Russia's blockade of Ukrainian grain, as well as economic and humanitarian cooperation.

What the day showed

Taken together, the reports from 3 June 2022 described a war in which the humanitarian toll was already immense, the front in Luhansk region was under severe pressure, Ukrainian forces were reporting advances in the south, and partners were committing heavier weapons. The Kremlin, for its part, was discussing the food crisis with an African leader while the blockade of Ukrainian grain continued.