By Sofia Diaz
With Russia’s war with Ukraine in its eleventh month, many wonder when this carnage will come to its end. There are tens of thousands of soldiers and innocent civilians dead, cities left in rubble and ruins and millions of Ukrainian refugees searching for a new home. As well as this, thousands of Russians are being silenced as they protest to try and stop this calamitous and devastating conflict. Many argue that Vladimir Putin, a firm and ruthless dictator, will never yield to Ukraine in a humiliating defeat, nor will Ukraine allow Russia to abuse and exploit them as a smaller nation. So is there light at the end of the tunnel?
Due to Putin’s bellicose and totalitarian mindset, experts agree he is in too deep and therefore he is unlikely to withdraw out of the war, without clear successes. Additionally, Russia is one of the strongest nations and a formidable nuclear power, therefore should overpower Ukraine. However, after eleven months and an estimated $82 billion spent on their war effort, Russia has only obtained approximately 27% of Ukraine’s total territory after Putin told the world in February 2022, “If I want, I will take Kiev in two weeks.” He has failed to do this. Furthermore, as a result of the war, Russia has become a common enemy for countries throughout the globe, resulting in the world’s biggest companies, such as Coca-Cola, Apple, Starbucks and McDonalds, continuing to stand strong and not sell their products in Russia. Demeaningly, Putin doesn’t even have the support of allies, such as China and North Korea, who simply watch on. With bitter fighting continuing and no signs of Ukraine giving up, how much money and resources is Putin willing to use to uphold his image as a brutal military dictator?
On the other hand, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with the support of countries from all around the globe, looks even more unlikely to surrender and continues to stand strong beside his fellow Ukrainians. President Zelenskyy has continuously said that “Ukraine holds its lines and will never surrender.” Although Ukraine may not hold a more substantial army compared to Russia, they do hold strong self-resilience and strength to protect their homes and families. Additionally, they have received nearly $109 billion from 46 countries, including the UK and the USA, in military, humanitarian and financial aid. Not only this, but more that six million Ukrainians have returned to fight with over 20,000 foreign volunteers during this raging war. The unity of allied countries with determined Ukrainians creates a strong force, which in some ways has already won due to its ability to prevent Russia from advancing deep into Ukraine, and it is unlikely that they will give up but continue to try and protect their beloved country.
Therefore, as Putin pushes on, in hopes for a more substantial victory, and Ukraine drives to protect their homes and families, it looks unlikely that either of them will surrender any time soon, or start peace agreements, as both nations believe that Ukrainian land is rightfully theirs. This will be an exhausting war, however it is important that we do not give up. Countries, such as the UK, must continue to support Ukraine as innocent women and children are forced to flee the abominable and horrifying conflict, leaving their fathers and sons to fight, in attempts to save their nation. We know that military dictators from countries such as North Korea look on, we must not give in, as we could give them too much power, for example free reign for China to invade Taiwan. It is unsure what will happen to end this devastating war, but what we know is that we must stand strong, as the consequences for democracy losing has far larger ramifications for the future of the world.