How the Ukraine conflict has changed the nature of war

Three years ago today, Russian tanks rolled over the Ukrainian border in a massive surprise attack. Russian unit commanders and soldiers were told to prepare for a three-day campaign – and indeed by the end of the day parachute units were fighting for control of the vital Hostomel military airport just a few miles from the centre of Kyiv. But over a thousand days later, many of the fundamentals of war and politics have been changed forever.

For one, Europe found its conscience. In the run-up to the full-scale Russian invasion, some European countries – including Britain – were training Ukrainian infantry units in scattered partisan warfare and supplying man-portable anti tank weapons such as NLAWs and Javelins. In the first days of the war, none of Ukraine’s Western allies seriously expected Kyiv to hold out – and US special forces even offered to evacuate President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The biggest change is that the spectre of nuclear conflict has returned as a real threat

Germany, insultingly, offered to ship 5,000 helmets to the Ukrainian army, while Brits worried about supplying too many high tech weapons lest they be captured by the Russians.