If there is a place in Kiev where you can feel the almost enormous price human life when the population of Ukraine pays 500 days From the beginning of the Russian occupation, that is Independence Square, the nerve center of the city. The flower beds and lawn of this symbolic space ruled by a berehynya statueThe place where the most important events and revolutions in the recent history of the country, which is a pre-Christian Slavic god, took place, became an improvised monument, on which passers-by decorated with yellow and blue flags. ukraine flagby written name familiarA friend or an acquaintance who fell on the battlefield or bombardment.
Victoria Myshjorizrelated to 27 yearswrites a short message on the back of one of the thousands of badges dedicated to his brother Viltor, eight years younger than him, before he burst into tears:And youIt can be read as ‘One day we will play the flute together’. He had received a letter on a “sunny day” in the summer. fate phone call a friend of yours. “I wrote down my phone number as a contact number in case anything happens,” he explains. The person on the other end of the line said that his brother was missing during the operation. “I felt confused And loss“, he remembers. All he knew of the last days of his existence was that his brother was killed by the Russians “while he was on a reconnaissance mission” on the Dnipro front. his corpseThe Plaza de la Independencia is the only place where you can pay your respects. Neither forgive nor forget. The aggressor country has nothing but grudges. “As long as Russia exists, it will not just try to steal our goods from us. black, culture, history anyone beloved; they will try to rob us our identity‘ he warns.
Human losses are huge. about 80% The proportion of Ukrainians admits to having a friend, acquaintance or relative killed or injured on the battlefield. Even more; 60% declares to know a deceased person. However, according to polls, such a reality does not seem likely to push them to end hostilities with Russia at all costs. Quite the opposite: it reinforces their belief that they are really fighting. a battle for their survivaljust wake up before that Victory or a agreement This includes strong security guarantees from the West against a new invasion. according to a survey Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), held last May, almost 85% He declares himself in favor of continuing the war and making no concessions to Russia, this percentage has remained virtually unchanged since the start of the war.
“The Ukrainians do not think that this is a war of the Ukrainian Army against the Russian Army; the negotiations,” he explains to EL PERIÓDICO of the Prensa Ibérica group, Anton GrushetskiCEO of KIIS. And they don’t believe that territorial concessions will quell Russia’s appetite for expansion and “end the war,” this expert continues. “The Ukrainians tried to live with Russia and it didn’t work, Putin says Ukraine does not exist. How can they not react like that?” he tweeted. Oleksi Haran, professor of fame comparative politics inside Kyiv Mohyla University and foundation director Democratic Initiatives.
Years of harassment, trolling on networks and institutions, and numerous hybrid wars launched from the neighboring country prior to the start of the invasion made the Ukrainian public extremely skeptical of the neighboring country’s intentions, especially at the time. current Russian political leadershipLed by Vladimir Putin, remains in power. “The Ukrainians found that 2014 ceasefire It was never implemented, and they think that if the Russian troops are not defeated, a final armistice will be declared by Russia. regroup and attack again,” says Haran. “The main problem Ukrainians see is security: stop the fire Grushetski means capitulation without being a full member of NATO or without solid security guarantees from the West,” emphasizes Grushetski. According to KIIS, only 40%. Crimea situation Provided that the peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, is demilitarized. “The Russian attack on southern Ukraine came exactly from there,” recalls this academic.
The war ended the concretion Ukrainian national identityBased on the consensus that Russia is, an aggressive and hostile country, and that the future lies in integration with the West and its economic institutions And defenseLike NATO or the EU. and it is a completely independent phenomenon. geographic origin or languageIn a country where there has always been deep divisions between a Russian-speaking East and a Ukrainian-speaking West, experts agree. Russia “bombed Mariupol, Kharkov… are cities where the majority language is Russian; These people don’t want anything to do with Moscow anymore, this isn’t even Belgium,” says Haran. 52% say that Russian should never be taught in school; It is noteworthy that Grushetskyi thinks that in the East, 30% of the population thinks that their mother tongue should be excluded from the school curriculum.”