Russia’s war on Ukraine has raged for nearly three years, with Ukraine losing territory, and morale among its soldiers decreasing in 2024.
“A year ago, even, I would never hear soldiers say anything negative on record about their leaders,” said Samya Kullab, The Associated Press news agency correspondent in Ukraine. “Now people are not only saying it to me on record, they are going online on their social media, with their names, their rank, their units, and telling everyone they know about what is not working.”
The noncombatant population of Ukraine also struggles with the effects of a long war.
“The war is all-encompassing, so you can’t escape that it’s happening,” said Kullab.
“You walk down the street, you look at some lovely little things on sale, and you see a little sign that says, ‘Please buy these handmade things. I’m trying to raise money for my husband’s military unit,'” she said.
“There are donation boxes everywhere. The number of amputees I see walking on the street – I see them every single day,” she added.
Here’s a photo review of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2024: