Episode Details

Disclaimer  

Due to our extensive holdings and our clients, you should assume that we have a position in all companies discussed and that a conflict of interest exists. The information presented is provided for informational purposes only. 

Truesdell Wealth, Inc.
A Registered Investment Advisor 
The Truesdell Professional Building
200 NW 52nd Avenue
Ocala, Florida 34482
Horse Capital of The World
352-612-1000
Paul Grant Truesdell, J.D., AIF, CLU, ChFC, RFC
Founder of The Truesdell Companies

Facts are important and are often muddled with language that is not necessary.  A rapid-fire listing of facts is one way to make a point. Four and a half years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine under the brutal dictatorship of Vladimir Putin, the numbers tell a story the Kremlin never expected to experience. What follows is not opinion. It is arithmetic — territory measured in meters per day, casualties measured against months of recruitment, refineries measured in barrels lost, and a birth rate measured against two centuries of Russian history.
This list from Truesdell Wealth is provided as a straight read, and what follows will keep you talking for days.
Let’s begin. 
Number 1. Fact: The war between Russia and Ukraine has been ongoing for more than four and a half years.
Number 2. Fact: This war has now lasted longer than the First World War and longer than the Soviet Union's fight against Nazi Germany in the Second World War.
Number 3. Fact: In November 2022, Russian forces controlled approximately 108,600 square kilometers of Ukraine, roughly 18 percent of the country.
Number 4. Fact: Ukraine's counteroffensives in Kharkiv and Kherson reclaimed more than half of all territory Russia captured in the opening months of the invasion.
Number 5. Fact: By the middle of 2026, Russia controlled approximately 116,000 square kilometers of Ukraine, roughly 20 percent of the country.
Number 6. Fact: Over three and a half years of offensive operations, Russia gained less than 2 percent more of Ukraine's total land area.
Number 7. Fact: Russian forces lost more ground than they captured in both April and May 2026, a net loss of roughly 400 square kilometers, and the first monthly net losses since August 2024.
Number 8. Fact: Russian forces returned to marginal net territorial gains by June and July 2026.
Number 9. Fact: Based on DeepState data, Russian forces made a net gain of 15 square miles of Ukrainian territory between June 23 and July 21, 2026, compared with 12 square miles in the preceding four-week period.
Number 10. Fact: Between July 7 and August 4, 2026, Russia made a net gain of 24 square miles according to ISW data, and 31 square miles in the preceding four-week period according to Deep State.
Number 11. Fact: In the opening weeks of the invasion, Russian forces seized more than 60,000 square kilometers of Ukraine within a matter of days while advancing toward Kyiv.
Number 12. Fact: Around Kostyantynivka in eastern Donetsk, Russian forces have advanced at an average rate of approximately 50 meters per day.
Number 13. Fact: Near Pokrovsk, Russian forces have advanced at an average rate of approximately 70 meters per day.
Number 14. Fact: The Battle of the Somme in 1916 lasted more than four months, introduced tanks into combat, and produced territorial gains measured in single-digit kilometers.
Number 15. Fact: In May 2025, Forbes calculated that Russian forces were advancing at a rate of approximately 176 square kilometers per month.
Number 16. Fact: Forbes calculated that at the May 2025 rate of advance, Russia would require 231 years to occupy the entirety of Ukraine.
Number 17. Fact: The Forbes analysis estimated Russia would need 100 million soldiers, set against a total pre-war Russian population of roughly 140 million.
Number 18. Fact: According to Institute for the Study of War figures, Russia advanced approximately 628 square