A Month of War in Ukraine: Ukrainian Troops Resist as Russia Sweeps Cities

On 24 February, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his first offensive in Eastern Europe, provoking the outbreak of war in Ukraine. A month later, Ukrainian troops continue to resist increasingly intense Russian attacks against military targets and, above all, against the civilian population. The big Ukrainian cities have been hard and heavily bombed by the Russian Armed Forces while diplomacy remains the great Western hope.

Cities like Mariupol, Kharkov, Kiev, Irpín and Chernigov are being razed by Vladimir Putin’s troops. The port city of Mariúpol is the hardest hit town in the war in Ukraine. Residential neighbourhoods are reduced to pieces, the civilian population lives without electricity and with shortages of food and medicine. The Red Cross called it “apocalyptic”. Kiev, the main target of the Kremlin, resists so that the enemy does not reach the city center.

From Ukraine they have managed to contain a Russian invasion that planned to reach their goal quickly. A month later, Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenski continues to send messages urging his people and troops not to lose hope while calling for more support and help from the international community. The horrors of the war have caused more than 10 million people evacuated in Ukraine to escape bombs and gunfire. More than 3.6 million civilians have become refugees since the beginning of the Russian invasion.

While the international community is punishing Russia with harsh economic sanctions, the Ukrainian Army has shown an astonishing capacity to resist the intense attacks of the Russian military giant. The logistical differences between the two nations are abysmal, but thanks to the sending of arms from the West and the courage of the Ukrainian troops, they have managed to contain for a month Putin’s eagerness for conquest.

This Thursday an emergency summit is being held in NATO to address the war in Ukraine from Brussels. US President Joe Biden is already in Europe with his allies. The secretary general of the Atlantic Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, has reiterated for weeks that they will in no way intervene in the war unless a member country is attacked.

The hope for peace in Ukraine lies in diplomatic efforts, although the peaceful outcome seems still far away. The Russian and Ukrainian delegations remain in contact negotiating the conditions for the end of the war, although they have very different positions.

Only a few days passed when Russia changed its strategy in the war. They went from attacking military structures to residential neighborhoods. The conflict leaves harrowing images, buildings reduced to rubble, empty streets, trees under ashes, hospitals and schools attacked and thousands of civilians killed by the Russian siege. The international community has accused Russia of committing war crimes in Ukraine.

Due to the Russian siege on the population, Ukraine has been opening humanitarian corridors for several weeks to evacuate the civilian population from the most besieged areas. Attacks by the Russian Armed Forces continue to spread throughout the country to cities that had not been attacked until a few days ago, such as Lviv. The international community is seeking a key mediator to seek peace in Ukraine and has repeatedly called on China to position itself in the conflict.

Written by BayRadio