Max Hjelm: So many dead for a power-mad old man's dreams of Greater Russia

Shortly after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia stopped publishing statistics on the number of casualties. It is not exactly a measure one takes when those whose hearts stop beating are few. But now two hacker groups have come across data from the Russian statistics agency which shows that the war led to the death of 450,000 soldiers for Russia. The figures do not run to today's date and experts believe that the actual number may be up to half a million today. That's more deaths in war than the entire Soviet Union and Russia combined since World War II.

So many human lives extinguished, so many families torn apart and so much blood spilled as a result of a power-mad old man's dreams of Greater Russia.

The Russians who don't get their sons home in coffins don't get to know much of this, however. Since 2015, military losses are considered a "state secret", and since 2022, Russians can be accused of high treason if they publish information that violates censorship.

But not everything can be hidden. The state-owned Rosneft has started rationing petrol at its supermarkets. After Ukraine's attacks on Russian oil production, between 20 and 35 percent of Russia's refinery capacity is down. The country has gone from being one of the world's largest oil exporters to having to ration the supply at the pump.

The country has gone from being one of the world's largest oil exporters to having to ration the supply at the pump.

Meanwhile on the battlefield: Russia's military is losing ground for the second month in a row.

This is important to remember during the peace mediation that the US is trying to do right now. Russia is run by an unscrupulous war criminal and survives mainly - aside from the help of Donald Trump - because Putin values ​​neither Russian nor Ukrainian human life. A "peace" on Russia's terms, where they seize Ukrainian land and there are no security guarantees for the attacked party, risks meaning nothing more than a pause - before Putin's war machine starts up again.

High-ranking Russian officials are already speaking in terms of all that is left for Ukraine is "annihilation." They will not settle for a piece of Donbass.

When several Nordic leaders met Volodymyr Zelenskyj in Denmark on Tuesday, Ulf Kristersson could go there - and has been able to travel to Kiev - with his back straight: Sweden's contribution to Ukraine is among the largest in the world. And we must continue along that path, regardless of government. Because as the prime minister stated after the meeting: "With our support, we stand up not only for Ukraine, but for the right of all small and large countries to make independent decisions about their own future - without oppression from great powers. We know that Russia wants to divide us. By now they should understand that they will not succeed."

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