As Ukraine wakes up to the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion, exhaustion is setting in. A year ago, there was still cautious optimism about the counteroffensive. But hopes of a breakthrough were dashed and Russia’s capture of the eastern city of Avdiivka last week was its biggest gain since the capture of Bakhmut last May.
Ukrainians are not giving up. But this grinding war is wearing down troops at the front, civilians at home and their leaders. The mood of national unity has given way to a more complicated resolve. Those who have served on the frontlines, or who have lost loved ones there, may have mixed feelings about life going on elsewhere in the country. Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s sacking of his top commander, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, highlighted tensions at the top.
