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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Dan Sabbagh

Ukraine depends on morale and Russia on mercenaries. It could decide the war

A Ukrainian helps a wounded fellow soldier along the road in the Kharkiv region
A Ukrainian helps a wounded fellow soldier along the road in the Kharkiv region, where Ukraine retook a wide swathe of territory last week. Photograph: Kostiantyn Liberov/AP

The Ukrainian video begins with the Dunkirk beach scene from the film Atonement, the soldiers’ stirring rendition of Dear Lord and Father of Mankind. Until it transitions to several hundred Ukrainian troops, singing the country’s national anthem in the open air, ahead of last week’s successful Kharkiv offensive.

Life may be trying to imitate art, but in this case there is no clearer demonstration of Ukrainian national morale as the war heads towards the end of its seventh month. The unprovoked attack by their larger neighbour has unleashed a patriotic mobilisation that is having a transformational effect on the battlefield.

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