Three big lessons from two years of war in Ukraine (that tell us what might happen next)

When Russia invaded Ukraine in the early hours of 24 February two years ago, nobody knew how it would play out. Here author and Russia expert Mark Galeotti sifts through the carnage of the bloody conflict for clues as to what will happen next

A war that gripped the attention of the world has since become a gruelling battle of attrition between the forces of Putin and Zelensky (AP/Getty/iStock)

Two years of bloody war in Ukraine have seen more than half a million soldiers killed or wounded, more than six million Ukrainians flee the country, and yet a front line which has scarcely moved for a year now.

Looking ahead, there will be decisions to be made on everything from the next Western weapon systems to provide Ukraine, to whether Kyiv adopts a more defensive strategy, but there are three key lessons and indicators for the future that hint where the war could go next…

Listen closely to what Putin says – the clues are always there