On Valentine’s Day, 2023, Russia attacked Ukraine in a very unexpected and shocking move. A sudden attack from one of the superpowers is not what Ukraine was expecting when they were making plans to celebrate the annual holiday of love. With this attack, Russia laid all its cards on the table and claimed to defeat the smaller nation in 7 days. However, what no one saw coming was the resilience and fighting spirit of the Ukrainian army.
No matter where one stands, after three years of death and destruction, Russia is not looking good with its arrogance and overconfidence. Over 50,000 guided bombs have been dropped on Ukraine in three years of senseless killing and military destruction, destroying buildings and killing people.
More than 12,000 civilians have been killed, including hundreds of children, and nearly 30,000 have been seriously injured; seven million have fled overseas. There are no exact figures for the casualties on either side. However, Kyiv has reported thousands of Ukrainian soldier casualties, both fatal and injuries, and almost 839,000 combat casualties on their adversary’s side.
However, one can assume that the way communities have been destroyed, and an estimated one million Russians and Ukrainians have died as a result of the conflict. More than 100,000 cases of alleged war crimes, such as assault, torture, murder, and illegal strikes on civilian infrastructure, have been reported.
Captured tanks and armoured vehicles of the Russian defense forces.
But, lost 20% territory.
1.2 million soldiers KIA.
500k injured in war.
Deprived the nation of youth.
Lost 60% of their mineral wealth.
Half of population left.
And ultimately lost sovereignty.
Way to go Ukraine. https://t.co/ObrFShIJd3 pic.twitter.com/nw1s4YmV8X— Nzioka Muli. (@nziokamul1) February 20, 2025
There are countless stories of elders being shot in their homes when Russia entered Ukraine illegally. Most of these elders lived alone, and no one knew of their demise until after a few days. This war didn’t break Ukraine, but it got it together. Farmers, students, and people with little to no military training stood together to fight against Russia and its atrocious egomaniac war.
Among these brave souls is “The Claw”. The women of “The Claw” is a covert civilian group headed by Kyiv lady Ksenia. These were known for smuggling children to safety, frequently from cellars beneath Russian tanks. Because of their courage, this “band of mothers” gained widespread fame throughout Ukraine. They are celebrated and waved past checkpoints like celebrities. They created an underground logistics network.
“Of course we cannot abandon the babies,” said one nanny, who is caring for babies born to Ukrainian surrogate mothers and being sheltered in a basement nursery in Kyiv. Her husband and two sons, all soldiers in Ukraine’s army, have urged her to evacuate. https://t.co/nmLt8tfibS pic.twitter.com/xoXGfHrpqa
— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 12, 2022
This network stretches all the way to the Carpathian Mountains in the weeks following the invasion. They ghosted children to safety under the direction of the Ukrainian SBU Secret Service. And Ukraine was not alone. The majority of the world stood with Ukraine. Several sanctions were placed on Russia by other superpowers and first-world countries like the US and the UK. President Biden helped Ukraine as much as he could without diverting from NATO guidelines.
However, now that the US government has changed, the world stands frozen as Donald Trump shows his support for Vladimir Putin. When he went ahead and called President Zelensky a dictator, everyone knew that the USA could never be an ally to anyone anymore.
JUST NOW: Trump again refuses to call Putin a “dictator”, despite calling Zelensky one repeatedly
He will not criticize Putin pic.twitter.com/YuFvu6AkH2
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) February 21, 2025
The warmth Trump showed Putin was a slap on the face of everyone who has been fighting this senseless war for three years.
The world seems to be banding against the US in a collective effort to save face when faced with the desolated faces of Ukrainian citizens.
