His frustration stems from what he sees as a fickle and perhaps even disloyal international community, whose sentiments he believes have swung wildly since President Vladimir Putin’s forces invaded two years ago Saturday.
Back then, many around the world didn’t hold out much hope for the government of Volodymyr Zelenskyy after thousands of Russian soldiers marched across the border into Ukraine, intent on subjugating the country and its actor-turned-president.
But Ukraine rallied, surprising even its closest allies. This resistance in the face of a much more powerful adversary made Zelenskyy a hero hailed around the world, helped convince many governments to back Ukraine to the tune of billions, and later in 2022 propelled Kyiv’s audacious counteroffensives to reclaim swaths of Russian-occupied land.
Today, the country finds itself once again on the back foot: Foreign support has softened and its forces are running low on equipment and ammunition, and a renewed Russian push is being felt across the 600-mile front line, after heavily fortified Russian lines appear to have stalled the progress of last summer’s Ukrainian counteroffensive.
In just the past few days, Russian forces captured the key city of Avdiivka in Ukraine’s east, and swiftly promised not to lessen the pressure and continue their move west.
Chasiv Yar is just 30 miles north of Avdiivka, and Chaus says he’s worried that his town, already ravaged by the war, would now bear an even greater brunt of the fighting.
“Those Russian forces that were concentrated on Avdiivka will now be dispersed to other places, including in Chasiv Yar,” said Chaus, who heads the town’s military administration. “And Chasiv Yar will face even more pressure to defend itself. It means more of our troops have to move here and risk their lives.”
Ukraine is vulnerable elsewhere too.
Russian military bloggers and Western analysts this week reported renewed fighting near the village of Robotyne in the southern…
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