Variation #4
By KS Lack
Print: Variated Edition 8/18
Frame: charred wood, wire fencing
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine by land, sea and air. Nationwide missile strikes occurred simultaneously with a ground assault across three fronts: north, through Russia and Belarus; from the south, via Russian-occupied Crimea; and from the east, through Russian-occupied areas of eastern Ukraine and Russia itself.(A,B) It was the largest invasion force on the European continent since WWII. Although the U.S. and Europe condemned the attack, most of the world assumed the war would end quickly—many in the U.S. predicted Ukraine to fall within 96 hours.
The story seemed written. Then Ukraine changed the narrative.
Despite significant damage, the Ukrainian air defense did not collapse. President Zelenskyy refused to flee the country, instead posting defiant videos that electrified the world. Ukrainians nationwide mobilized into territorial defense and army units. This resistance delivered tangible results. The northern front, aimed at capturing Kyiv, was repelled by street-to-street fighting in the capital’s suburbs. In the east and south, Ukraine launched counteroffensives, securing Odesa and eventually managing to regain the areas around Kharkiv and Kherson by the fall of 2022.(C)
There is no doubt that external factors played a crucial role in Ukraine’s defense. Russia’s initial attacks were poorly coordinated and executed. U.S. and European weapons and humanitarian aid provided Ukraine with a critical lifeline. However, none of these external advantages would have mattered if the Ukrainian people had been willing, forcefully and continually, to resist the Russian onslaught.
The cost of this resistance continues to mount for Ukraine. Russian brutality has been so extreme that the country stands accused of numerous war crimes.(D) As Ukraine faces weapon shortages and increasing dissension among Ukraine’s allies, Russian missiles are finding their targets more frequently. Much of the war has become entrenched, with even the small territorial gains and losses costing thousands of lives.
The Ukrainian government and military are not without fault; mistakes have been made at critical moments. Ukraine is being forced to retreat from some of the territory it had recaptured during the first year of the war. Yet, despite these setbacks, Ukraine has managed to reclaim 54% of the land occupied by Russia since the full-scale invasion began. Unfortunately, large portions of southern and eastern Ukraine, with a front-line stretching over 600 miles, remains under Russian control. A Ukrainian incursion into the Russian region of Kursk in August 2024 has added another layer of complexity.
No matter the outcome, never forget: when faced with an unjust and overwhelming attack, Ukraine stood strong and fought back.
A) For more on Crimea, see Variation #5 and Variation #24.
B) See Variation #26 and Variation # 27 for more on Eastern Ukraine.
C) For more on Odesa, see Variation #23.
D) For more on Russia’s war crimes, see Variation #8.
See below for further reading and background.
Exclusive: U.S. Expects Kyiv to fall in Days as Ukraine Source Warns of Encirclement, Newsweek, 24 Feb 22.
Two years of war in Ukraine, seen through its leader’s biggest moments, The Washington Post, 23 Feb 24.
Ukraine in maps: Tracking the war with Russia, BBC News, 21 Feb 24.
Ukraine Conflict Update 9, Institute for the Study of War: Russia Team, 26 Feb 22.
War in Ukraine, Center for Preventive Action, updated 24 Apr 24.
Life on Ukraine’s front line: ‘Worse than Hell’ as Russia advances, Reuters, 29 May 24.
‘It was all a blur’: Ukraine’s troops on their audacious incursion into Russia, The Guardian, 3 Sep 24.
