The scene seemed typical of any European capital: a woman sipping fruit tea and chatting amid the hustle and bustle of a cafe.
Nevertheless, Nataliia Drapak counted losses in her circle of friends on the bloodstained front lines of the war. “I have friends who have fallen. A friend of mine has been missing since May.
Another friend of mine is seriously wounded, injured in all four limbs. “He is a father of four children, so it is very difficult for his family.”
Her fiancé has been fighting since June last year and has never had the chance to say goodbye to his dead comrades as the bodies are transported back to their families.
“He knows he’s going to think about it the rest of his life,” said Drapak, 33, who works in the arts. No wonder her exhausted boyfriend is suffering from mental health issues.
Zelensky, along with his military leaders, said last week that Ukraine would never give in despite the start of a harsh winter
Ukrainian soldiers walk in a trench on the front line towards Kupiansk, where clashes with the Russian army continue despite the harsh winter conditions in Kupiansk
“He has a lot of stamina and stability for someone who is so depressed,” she said. “But we need a million more people to fight.”
Another soldier started a petition calling for the rotation of long-serving troops. This has sparked a difficult debate about mobilization in a country where casualties are mounting as the snows of a second winter of war fall. Because Ukraine is facing a harsh reality: that this war – which has killed, injured and displaced so many people – could last much longer than most people here originally expected.
Last year, after heroically resisting the Russian attack on Kiev and recapturing more than half of their captured territory, there was heady talk of wresting even Crimea from Vladimir Putin’s clutches by Christmas. Now the counteroffensive against the well-fortified Russian lines is stalling. Moscow has found new arms suppliers, global attention has shifted to the Middle East, support from allies is wavering and the economy is in shambles.
So many people have lost everything… this is a battle for humanity
Even President Volodymyr Zelensky has acknowledged his dissatisfaction, saying they are entering a “difficult” period as he orders defenses and urges the world not to forget their fight.
When I returned to Ukraine after several months away, I found the mood darker, with growing concern about the nation’s readiness for a long fight – but their weariness seems to be matched by an even more passionate determination to defeat their enemy.
The gloomy mood is not surprising. One study found that people typically know seven family members or friends who have been killed or injured since the full-scale invasion began last year, a frightening statistic echoed by everyone I spoke to.
The petition calling for the rotation of exhausted front-line troops was launched by Kyrylo Babii, who was an actor, artist and architecture student in Kharkiv before Russia tried to break up his country.
He immediately volunteered to defend Ukraine. More than 21 months later, he commands a front-line intelligence unit that has taken part in some of the most brutal battles. “I joined the army because I want to live in freedom,” said the 32-year-old with the bushy beard. “We were attacked by a country that wants to destroy us.” “The scale of the invasion was so massive that I felt we had to do everything we could.”
A wounded woman is seen as an airstrike damages an apartment complex outside Kharkiv
Carniola soldiers load onto the truck the body of a victim who died in a Russian attack that destroyed a shop and cafe in the village of Groza, about 30 kilometers west of Kupiansk
But today, as he fights against Russian forces on the Eastern Front, he is exhausted by the strain of combat and leadership. “I didn’t think it would last this long,” admits Babii. “I was optimistic.
“Now I am tired. Sometimes we find ourselves in critical situations, unimaginable situations, so it is very difficult to deal with them. It’s hard, both mentally and physically. “I don’t see the war ending and I don’t have time to regain my strength.”
Such demands are fueling discussions about how to ensure a sufficient influx of citizens willing and trained to risk their lives in Ukraine’s fight for survival. The conscription rules have already been extended several times. Apparently Putin has no plans to stop. Two days after my return to Kiev, I awoke to the familiar sounds of war as the city suffered the worst drone attack since the invasion last February.
Only one of the 75 Iranian-made ships made it through the city’s defenses, yet five people were injured, buildings were damaged and falling debris caused fires.
The attack came as Ukraine celebrated the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor, a famine instigated by Joseph Stalin, the Soviet despot and one of Putin’s idols, that left four million dead.
We have sacrificed so much that a peace agreement would feel like a betrayal
The drone strike was seen as Putin’s opening salvo for “weaponizing” the winter after building up his arsenal. Last year Russia destroyed almost half of Ukraine’s energy facilities and ministers say they are preparing for the “worst winter in history.”
But just as its troops have dug into trenches on the battlefield, so this country and its citizens must dig deep into their reserves of strength. “We are living in a new reality,” said Myroslav Laiuk, 33, a well-known poet and writer. “We have so many people who have lost everything – their homes, their husbands, their children – that possessions become worthless.”
“This is a fight for freedom, for humanity.” He emotionally recounted attending a funeral and seeing the mother of a murdered friend so distraught over the loss of her only surviving family member – “a truly terrible moment.” .
Last winter, despite power outages, he read books by candlelight and thought the war would soon be over. “Now Ukrainians are ready for longer winters.” “If we’re lucky, we’ll be in the middle of a war – but if we’re not lucky, it will be ten years.” Laiuk believes that despite its fatigue and losses, Ukraine has become stronger is. U.S. officials estimate the country will soon kill and injure 200,000 soldiers.
A wounded woman stands outside a hospital after the bombing in the eastern Ukrainian city of Chuguiv on February 24
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited soldiers on the front line in Kupiansk on November 30
“A year ago I didn’t believe we could endure the prolonged war, but now I feel like we can.” People have paid such a high price that today there is nothing left to live for, except the values that people die for.”
This opinion also resonated outside the capital’s elite. Among the pensioners forced out of the war zone, behind the bold talk of victory, the realization dawned that Ukraine faced a long, hard job. “I expected it to end in spring, then summer and then winter. “Now they say next year,” said Liudmyla Voikova, 67. “I’m afraid this war will have no end.”
This former accountant told me about the death of a friend and saw a man’s fingers severed by shrapnel as he delivered water to families sheltering in basements. “War is pure hell,” she said through tears, but insisted they had to win.
These are words I have heard again and again, this transition to acceptance that the war could last a long time and to a contemptuous dismissal. After so much suffering, Ukraine could think about anything other than reclaiming all of its land. “A peace agreement will never be discussed.” We have sacrificed too much. Would all young people have died for a peace agreement? said Maria Avdeeva, a cybersecurity expert. “It would feel like you were a traitor to the memory of all those who lost their lives.”
Russia has no principles, no morals. We will last a long time
These two women reminded me, like many others, that Ukraine had been fighting for almost a decade, since Putin first stole Crimea and parts of Donbass.
Meanwhile, Russian casualties were massive in the frantic attack on Avdiivka, a ruined town in Donbass of limited strategic importance. The Kremlin is desperate for a positive story ahead of March elections.
British military officials confirm that an average of 931 Russian soldiers were killed or injured every day last month – although neither side discloses such data and Russia has almost four times Ukraine’s population to fill its ranks.
Although Russia’s losses are far higher, here is the core problem highlighted in this petition: while many Ukrainian men and women fight hard in terrible battles, many others continue their lives behind their front lines and live somewhat normally.
Ministers are calling for a million citizens in uniform in a country that is still home to around 37 million people following the exodus of women and children last year. However, Babii’s petition assumes that there are 6.3 million Ukrainian men of fighting age. “I’m not angry at men who don’t serve, but I don’t understand their actions,” he said.
But not every man is ready to become a soldier, even in war. Thousands fled the country illegally to avoid the draft. The issue of medical exemptions has increased tenfold. And in the summer, Zelensky fired recruiters amid allegations of systemic corruption.
A residential building destroyed by Russian shelling in the frontline village of Petropavlivka
A bird’s eye view of the city of Kupiansk, which has suffered from shelling from Russian positions
One man cried as he described his situation. “I feel so bad all the time,” said 34-year-old entrepreneur Maksym, who is not his real name. “I’m afraid of dying, I don’t want to get hurt and I’m not willing to kill anyone.” “I don’t know how people can deal with that.”
Most men between the ages of 18 and 60 are banned from leaving the country. In the first months of the war, volunteers quickly signed up. Now the military relies on mobilization with postings of duty posts on the streets, even in homes and bars.
Maksym mostly stays at home to avoid raids. But even he shows a defiance forged by Kremlin atrocities that drives those not fighting to donate time and money to support the armed forces.
But volunteers told me donations are declining because of economic woes and fatigue, while anger is growing over revelations of corruption and misuse of government funds.
Divisions also emerged between Ukraine’s political and military leadership. There are also concerns about Western support and arms supplies as Russia increases its military spending and almost a third of its budget now goes to defense.
However, two people I spoke to summed up the enduring spirit of determination. The first was Olena Kurylo, 54, the teacher who became the face of this war after being hit by shrapnel near Kharkiv in its first hours – and whose eyesight was restored by doctors thanks to donations from readers of The Mail on Sunday became.
Despite being offered an apartment in London, she returned to Ukraine this summer. “It’s hard, but this is my home, my language, my people,” she said. “It’s terrible to live like this, but we’ll hold out for a long time. “Russia has no principles, no morals.”
The second was sniper Oleksandr Petrenko, 25, who was paralyzed from the chest down after being shot in the neck. “It was a strange feeling. There was blood in my throat and I felt like death was near,” he remembers.
Still, he remains remarkably positive, saying: “I know people are tired, but they don’t think about losing.” It’s tough when you lose so much. Many people are broken by this. I want to show that it is not the end, but rather than being broken, it can be a rebirth.”
Additional reporting by Dzvinka Pinchuk.