Two years into Russia's invasion, exhausted Ukrainians refuse to give up

After two years of Russia's invasion, the people of Ukraine, despite being exhausted, are still determined to resist and not surrender.

It means "crooked horn," but President Zelensky considers Kryvyi Rih his "big soul and heart."

He believes that this dirty, industrial metropolis has shaped his persona. He was raised in the Anthill, a large complex of apartment buildings.

In front of this imposing building, Volodymyr Zelensky's transformation from this environment to a wartime leader seems amazing.

Vita, who lived next to Zelensky's parents, says, "I want the war to end soon." "He is a decent man who stands up for others. All I want is for the sirens and this conflict to cease sooner."

However, with little progress made by Ukraine and increasing Russian domination, there is no end in sight, and this is being encouraged by influential groups of sceptics in the West.

Speaking at the recent Munich Security Conference, President Zelensky advised participants to "ask why Putin is still able to continue it" rather than asking Ukraine when the war will finish.

That was a jab at those holding up the ammo and weaponry his soldiers so sorely need since blocked military aid is now directly impeding his forces on the front lines.

"I am not a politician," acknowledges Valeriy, an 80-year-old man sitting outside a grocery store. "We cannot ask when the war will stop again. "We cannot stand it any longer; we have to fight. People these days are irate."

Its desire to defend has mostly stayed the same since that morning on February 24, 2022. Thousands of individuals volunteered to fight for Ukraine in the face of a terrible unknown.

The eyes of the world shifted to Kyiv, where I was doing reporting.

As President Zelensky declined evacuation offers and stayed in Kyiv, his notoriety and popularity skyrocketed.

He said, "I need ammunition, not a ride," which has become famous.

His pleas are no longer as powerful, yet his needs have not changed.

A counteroffensive that failed in 2023 raised doubts about Ukraine's ability to reclaim its land.

Republicans who deny Ukraine's ability to fight are preventing billions of dollars worth of military aid from reaching the country. According to Kyiv, more frontline troops are losing their lives as a result of a lack of weapons and ammunition.

Russia has continued to wage war throughout, and its allies Iran and North Korea are supplying more missiles to bombard Ukrainian cities.

Kryvyi Rih is not exempt from the weariness that permeates the nation. Even though many men are afraid of being conscripted and some have had enough of the war, others maintain that it is still a struggle for existence.

It is considered a defeat to consider making a compromise or concession to Russia. It is philosophical.

My association of playgrounds with death is a reflection of the reality in which Ukrainians live.

Before the invasion, I had witnessed kids playing in one at a school near my flat in Kyiv. They are now the scene of a deadly missile strike, abandoned on the front lines, or the site of a helicopter crash in Brovary, close to Kyiv.

Devastation and body bags have replaced the innocent innocence of youth.

We see a distraught Yuriy in Kryvyi Rih, witnessing the demolition of his flat following a missile strike the previous year. The several lives that were ruined are shown by exposed wallpaper designs.

"No one needs this war, what is it for anyway?" asks he. "So many people are being killed."

Does he believe that peace should be exchanged for land in Ukraine?

"Absolutely not," is his direct response. "Many people lost their lives defending those areas. Releasing them would be pointless."

Due to the lack of success on the battlefield, a corrosive gulf developed between President Zelensky and Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the chief of his armed forces. General Zaluzhnyi, who was fired, is perceived as a possible political competitor of his former employer.

Ukrainians in the Kryvyi Rih region attempt to assist where their nation's partners are progressively unwilling to. A burgeoning army of volunteers sews camouflage nettings for soldiers on the front lines in one unassuming building.

Because of "Their different jokes," the organizers segregate the men and women.

A former biking group has moved to another industrial area of the city and started smoking instead of riding. Teams fill canisters with chemicals to make smoke grenades—an effective military weapon for attacking targets or for evacuating wounded personnel.

One of the volunteers, Ines, says, "It's impossible to stay at home with my thoughts when my husband is fighting." "Here I feel I can do something to make it easier for them."

After annexing Crimea in 2014, Russia began its aggressive ten-year campaign against Ukraine, which resulted in an exhausting war in the east of the nation. It is a different conflict on the 731st day of the full-scale invasion.

Ukraine's remarkable defence victories and weakening of Russia's navy have not turned the tide in its favour.

This battle no longer has its novelty value. To keep the world interested, Ukraine, Kryvyi Rih, and its well-known son must discover fresh energy sources and a cunning game plan.