Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has renewed European NATO members’ focus on modernizing their armed forces after decades of underinvestment.

Some nations are pursuing long-range, ground-launched missiles through the European Long-Range Strike Approach (ELSA).

While most ELSA participants possess air- and sea-launched cruise missiles, only Türkiye, with systems developed by ROKETSAN, fields ground-launched missiles exceeding 300 km, making it a key NATO player in this capability.

The success of ELSA hinges on overcoming political, technical, and budgetary challenges.

Source: IISS

How Many Ukrainian Soldiers Have Died?

Since 2022, an estimated 60,000–100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died, with 400,000 more severely injured—6–8 injuries per death.

Over 0.5% of Ukraine’s pre-war male population (18–49) is dead, and nearly 5% are either killed or too wounded to fight.

These losses, as a proportion of population, surpass U.S. deaths in Vietnam and Korea combined and approach World War II levels, while Russia’s losses exceed all its post-1945 conflicts.

Source: The Economist