Thread by @joni_askola

1/7 People often don’t grasp the scale of the war in Ukraine—especially when comparing it to Gaza.

This isn’t a moral comparison.

It’s about understanding the sheer magnitude of Ukraine’s suffering and displacement

2/7 Both conflicts are horrific and involve immense civilian suffering.

But Ukraine’s war is on a vastly larger scale—geographically, militarily, and in terms of casualties and displacement

Map: ISW

3/7 Mariupol alone saw 27k–88k deaths, mostly civilians (Uppsala Conflict Data Program).

Ukraine’s full-scale war has caused 1–2 million casualties. russia alone has over 1 million.

Gaza’s war has caused 200k–250k casualties—still massive, but far fewer

4/7 Displacement is staggering:
Around 10 million Ukrainians have been displaced.

Gaza had 2.2 million residents in 2021.

That’s nearly 5x Gaza’s population displaced in Ukraine

5/7 Again, this isn’t a moral ranking.

Civilian death rates are proportionally higher in Gaza.

But the Ukraine war's total casualties are close to Gaza’s entire population. That’s the scale we’re talking about

6/7 The nature of the conflicts is also different.

russia’s invasion of Ukraine was fully unprovoked.

Gaza’s war escalated after Oct 7, including hostage-taking.

Had Ukraine done something similar, global support would look very different

7/7 Both wars are tragic and have caused immense suffering.

But russia’s war on Ukraine is way larger in scale and has far deeper consequences for Europe.

Yet many Europeans seem more focused on Gaza