The 1568th day of the Russian-Ukrainian war has arrived. The First World War lasted exactly as long. How did the worst conflict of the early 20th century turn into a battle of attrition? And was it anything like the current war?

At the beginning of 2026, the Russian-Ukrainian war overtook the Great Patriotic War in duration. And on June 10th it became equal to the First World War. Both conflicts reached a total of 1,568 days. Of course, there is little in common between the regional war of the 21st century and the global war of the 20th century. But is it still possible to compare these conflicts in any way? And what lessons could participants in the current war learn from the First World War? “Meduza” recalls why the most terrible conflict of a century ago lasted so long, with what losses the parties came out of it, and what parallels can be drawn with the battle of attrition between the Russian Armed Forces and the Ukrainian Armed Forces.