Ukraine and Russia have entered a phase of "total war" aimed at complete annihilation

Russia's aggression against Ukraine is increasingly taking on the characteristics of total war with not only the armed forces, but also the enemy's economy, civilian infrastructure, and population under attack, the Kyiv Independent reports. The author of the publication recalls that the current war is already one of the bloodiest conflicts of the 21st century. At the same time, the concept of total war has, until recently, been rarely used in relation to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. According to experts, it implies the mobilization of all state resources and the systematic destruction of not only the military, but also the economic potential of the adversary. Total war is synonymous with a total national effort, where all elements of national power are brought into play, former Australian Army Major General Mick Ryan told the publication. Thus, total war presupposes not only battles at the front and attacks on military targets in the rear, but also the maximum possible destruction of civilian infrastructure and the very foundations of the enemy's economy. In such a war, the parties' attacks are limited by the means available, not by conventions governing the rules of war. Russia has been attempting to destroy the Ukrainian economy since [music] 2022, when it began systematically targeting Ukraine's energy sector and blocking maritime trade. In 2026, Ukraine gained the ability to exert equally significant pressure on Russia's rear. This targeted not only oil refineries, but also civilian vessels and Wildberries centers. Moscow then intensified its attacks on the Ukrainian economy. Warehouses and logistics facilities of large Ukrainian civilian companies, as well as port infrastructure in the Odessa region, are increasingly coming under attack. As the Kyiv Independent reports, by targeting Wildberries and Silpo, Ukraine and Russia are primarily attempting to inflict economic damage on each other. However, Wildberries, unlike Silpo, did sell military goods. The same logic explains the emphasis of Russian strikes on Kyiv in recent months. This city generates 20% of Ukraine's GDP. Ukrainian analyst Nikolai Beleskov explains that the logic of both sides is the same and consists of attempting to inflict economic losses on the enemy that they will be unable to compensate. In other words, >> [music] >> bring the enemy to his knees before you yourself collapse, he said. However, unlike Ukraine, Russia is placing a disproportionate emphasis on the destruction of life support infrastructure, Beleskov noted. The mobilization situation remains a significant factor. Russia still relies primarily on voluntary military recruitment, offering high pay and bonuses. However, experts estimate that the rate of recruitment has almost equaled the rate of losses. This has fueled speculation that the Kremlin may resort to a new wave of mobilization after the State Duma elections in September. Beleskov notes that Russian strategy in previous years relied on superior resources and manpower. However, the pace of Russian troop advances has now slowed and the previous warfare model is producing [music] fewer results. Ukraine, in turn, has significantly smaller demographic resources, which creates a serious problem in the scenario of a protracted conflict. If Putin does declare mobilization, Russia will not only seek to expand offensive operations in the short and medium term, but [music] more importantly, will be able to sustain them for many years. Meanwhile, the stark mathematics of Ukraine's shortage of manpower on the battlefield represents Kiev's clear weakness [music] in a protracted all-out war, the publication concludes.