Ukraine defiant as Russia’s invasion enters third year

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As Russia’s war in Ukraine enters its third year, Ukrainians remain as adamant as they were on day one about fighting until the end.

This week, Ukrainians across the country and beyond its borders held services and large public rallies to commemorate the anniversary and demonstrate their unwavering solidarity.

In Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, the mood was sombre as residents came to Maidan Square, draped with blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flags and ribbons, to lay flowers to honour their many dead.

“The war has ruined our lives, and we are paying a very high price for wanting to be free,” a young woman, who didn’t want to be identified, told me.

“But this is our only choice, I don’t even want to imagine what the alternative could mean for us,” she added.

For most Ukrainians, the initial shock of the invasion has long given way to ever-present fear, even for residents of Kyiv, which is far from frontline fighting and well-covered by air defences.

Among them, concern prevails that the war will last years longer as Russian President Vladimir Putin shows no sign of relenting.

Moscow’s forces hold around 18% of Ukraine’s land mass and are mounting new offensives in the east.

Ukraine’s position has become more precarious after Russia this month registered its biggest advance in nine months, capturing the eastern town of Avdiivka.

Kyiv is critically short of artillery rounds, hampering its armed forces’ ability to push back at Russian troops.

Exhausted by two years of fighting, Ukraine’s government faces numerous challenges, not least regenerating battlefield manpower without wrecking the fragile economy.

In addition to seeking financial support and weapons, Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy is promoting legislation allowing the country to mobilise up to half a million more troops.

While economists say the move could paralyse the economy, Ukrainian officials deem it necessary to counter Russia’s mobilisation capacity.

As Kyiv residents appear to be going about their daily lives, the most important question is this: How serious is the West in its support of Ukraine?

“Two years ago, when Russians were at the gates of Kyiv, we saw the abyss. Today, we are standing on its edge, but what makes us fight on is that we’re not standing here alone,” a Ukrainian official told me.

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