Paul Ellertson, staff writer

As the Russia-Ukraine war passed its two year mark on Feb. 24, there seems to be no end in sight as Russian forces continue their attacks. Recently, according to the BBC, Russian forces have taken the eastern town of Avdiivka, Ukraine. Avdiivka, the city previously home to about 30,000 residents, is a critical point on Ukraine’s eastern front, and is where most of the fighting has taken place. According to the BBC, the fall of Avdiivka marks a massive change in the more than 620 mile eastern front line since the Russians seized Bakhmut in May 2023.

According to the BBC, much of the fighting has been happening around Bakhmut, and Russian troops continue to make advances to cities like Robotyne, in southeastern Ukraine, which were targeted due to the hope that Russian supply lines to Crimea would be severed. They also reported that Ukraine has been attacking Russia’s Black Sea fleet and claims to have sunk the Caesar Kunikov, an amphibious ship, off the coast of Crimea, allowing them to maintain maritime superiority in the western Black Sea. There has yet to be any confirmation from Russia about the incident. 

President of Ukraine Volodymir Zelensky made the decision to withdraw Ukrainian troops from that area in an effort to save lives. According to the BBC, Zelensky blames the loss on dwindling western military aid from the U.S. and other allies. Ukraine has been heavily dependent on their Western allies’ supplies to counter Russia’s apparent abundance of artillery.

Europe has also put on a massive string of demonstrations to show solidarity with Ukraine as well as an anniversary memorial held Feb. 24 in Kyiv. “While any normal person would want the war to end, it could only be on Ukraine’s terms,” said President Zelensky in a quote from the BBC. World leaders from Italy, Belgium and Canada joined hundreds of Ukriainians in Kyiv as part of the memorial. According to the BBC, however, President Joe Biden was not in attendance at the memorial. Chuck Schumer and a group of Democrats attended, so Zelensky considered this to be a sign that the U.S. still supports Ukraine. 

As the war enters its third year, Ukrainians are grieving but hopeful that in the end, they will win, according to the BBC. “I’m a realist and understand that most likely the war will drag on for the next three or four years. I hope society will mobilize, I hope we’ll be able to somehow defeat Russia,” said Denys Symonovskiy, a Kyiv resident, in a quote from the BBC. “We believe victory will be ours. It is all obtained at a very high price,” said another Kyiv resident, in a quote from the BBC. The war has taken a very heavy toll on both soldiers and civilians. “We have an average of 30 wounded a day. . . almost twice what they were in autumn,” said Captain Oleh Tokarchuk, commander of the medical unit for the 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade, according to U.S. news.