Both Russia and Ukraine have suffered “massive losses” in the ongoing battle since the beginning of the invasion in February. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) has confirmed that civilian casualties in Russia’s war on Ukraine have exceeded the 10,000 mark.
In a scathing op-ed for The Spiked, Mr Furedi stated: “This is a war like no other.
“There has not even been an official declaration of war yet – the Kremlin still euphemistically refers to the invasion as a ‘special military operation’, whose ‘sole purpose is [Ukraine’s] demilitarisation and denazification’.”
Linking the concept of “special military operation” with China, he said: “This ‘non-war’ category of ‘special military operation’ has also been adopted by the Chinese government.
“President Xi Jinping signed an order this month allowing China’s military to undertake ‘non-war’ ‘special military operations’ abroad.
“Observers fear that this is an indication that China is preparing to do to Taiwan what Russia has done to Ukraine.”
Officials said they have recorded 10,046 civilian casualties in the country, including 4,481 who were killed and 5,565 injured.
Ukraine has seen the most casualties in the eastern Donbas region, where 2,611 civilians have been killed and 3,103 have been injured, the UN office said.
Donbas is the site of the heaviest fighting in the besieged country at present.
READ MORE: Putin’s troops sustain such serious losses they can’t attack