Zelenskyy says that over 30,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed in the war so far

Ukraine – the first war I covered in my own country. When Russian invaded Crimea became a threat to Russian forces, Ukrainians fought hard in Kiev

KYIV, Ukraine — I’ve never dreamed of covering any war. I thought that the first war I would cover would be in my own country. And this war has now become not only my job but also my life.

I’ve been a journalist in Ukraine for eight years. I covered a wide range of topics up until 2 years ago, including the corruption scandals among the top officials of the country. I met soccer fans from all over the world coming to the UEFA Champions League final in 2018, when Ukraine for the first time hosted it. I checked the businesses that complied and discovered stores that sold booze to people under the age of 18.

My last story was about the flower business. I worked on a piece about the tricks that flower sellers use before the holidays to increase sales. There is a store where the president of the Ukranian Republic used to order flowers for his wife. We planned to run this story on the eve of March 8, International Women’s Day, when many Ukrainian men present women with flowers. I gave it to my editor on the evening of Feb. 23. The next day, Russia began its full-scale invasion. This story was never published.

After the full-scale invasion, foreign aid workers, volunteers and journalists arrived. I tried to explain the relationship which ended in this war. There was a lack of knowledge about the country. I remember a conversation with a young American volunteer who had never been to Eastern Europe. He told me that he was shocked by the number of people in Ukraine who use laptops in everyday life, when he first heard of the air raid. Others were surprised that Ukrainians watched Netflix and knew Western celebrities.

There is a neighborhood in the city of Kyiv that is not far from the city center. It has always been a busy area. But a few weeks before Feb. 24, 2022, it was empty. Foreigners were leaving, and I could see the pity in their eyes. It felt like they were saying goodbye forever.

The Kremlin claimed that it would be quick. Russian troops tried to take the capital in March of 2022, but it was resisted by the Ukrainians.

Now the entire country remains a target of Russian attacks. Back in 2014, when Russia took over Crimea and parts of the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, the violence was localized.

In wartime, Ukraine’s domestic problems became issues. For years all people knew about Ukraine was that it was a corrupt post-Soviet country with a developing democracy. Ukrainians are demanding transparency more than ever, despite the problems with corruption. They are intolerant of graft in any form.

For example, under public pressure, the president and parliament restored open access to a register in which it is possible to see how much officials earned in the past year and compare their monetary savings and property holdings with their official salaries. This register was closed when the full-scale invasion began. Now Ukrainians are allowed to check the president.

We have become the strictest watchdogs of our own democracy, even during martial law, which war requires and which, by design, significantly restricts civil rights. It was recently discovered that the special service of the Ukrainian government wiretapped and monitored journalists looking into corruption. Society reacted instantly, blaming authorities for putting pressure on the freedom of the press. When President Zelenskyy fired the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, beloved by many, Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, hundreds of people took to the streets to protest.

Even though martial law doesn’t permit rallies, relatives of Ukrainian military service members frequently stage pickets and demand that authorities define clear terms of service for soldiers who were conscripted or report on progress of negotiations regarding the return of fighters who are in Russian captivity.

Ukrainians do this even though war has changed our perception of time. Everything has happened so quickly, and yet I feel like my life froze on Feb. 23, 2022, the day before Russia’s invasion.

I plan ahead only a few weeks at a time. I don’t know what will happen to me, or where I will be next year, or even next month. That is why my partner and I do not have children. Having a family after victory is delayed by the fact we cannot guarantee a safe childhood together with mom and dad.

Source: I’m a Ukrainian journalist. I never expected to be a war reporter in my own country

Living in a building: The first two years of Russian invasions of Ukraine with a militarized force – I. Ukrainian military personnel and the general population

People get used to living in danger. They don’t think all the time that something bad might happen. But I often remember how fragile human life is. When we’re reporting, sometimes I look up contacts and realize I can’t call them because they are dead — killed on the front line or in a missile attack. I can’t bear to go through my contact list and count how many people will never pick up the phone again.

My cozy neighborhood has changed as well. A high end apartment building was built less than a mile from my building a few years ago. There are spacious apartments with large windows overlooking a beautiful yard, a huge parking lot, a coffee shop, a grocery store and everything necessary for a comfortable life. I had always fantasized about living there. I couldn’t afford an apartment there.

The complex was hit by a missile two times. Also it was damaged by debris twice. Several residents were killed and wounded in these attacks. I think that maybe my life was spared because my dream of living there never came true, and I think about that when I pass this building every day.

I can’t believe that many of the usual things won’t be the same. My boyfriend works for one of the Ukrainian TV channels. Before the full-scale invasion, we often met at various news events covering them. At the site of a rocket attack that killed 23 people, we met last year. When NPR’s reporting team got there, my boyfriend and his crew were already filming. He was trying to help me when he told me where the bodies of the dead were placed and where the rescuers were hunting for survivors. It was not weird to meet him at work. It was not normal to see great grief, death and tears with him.

I was born after 1991, when the Soviet Union fell apart and Ukraine became independent. That’s why independence seemed to me something that you get ultimately just because you were born in a sovereign country. Unfortunately, we had to learn that freedom is not a gift. Its price is the highest and most painful.

KYIV, Ukraine — At least 31,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began two years ago, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters at a forum on Sunday.

It’s the first time Ukraine has publicly given a figure for military casualties, though Zelenskyy declined to say how many soldiers are wounded or missing, saying the information would help Russia.

Zelenskyy also suggested that the Kremlin got a hold of Ukraine’s counteroffensive plans last summer and that this year, “several plans will be prepared because of information leaks.”

As Russia’s war on Ukraine enters its third year, Zelenskyy says 2024 could be decisive. A top priority is ensuring Ukraine has enough weapons, especially long-range missiles, as well as ammunition, to defend itself from Russian forces.

“You cannot win only with bravery,” said Anton Tarasov, a 49-year-old soldier, speaking to NPR in Kyiv while on a short break from the front line. “I know hundreds of great soldiers. We can’t save lives if we have no bullets to fight back. Just give us the tools. And we will do the rest.”

Ukrainian troops low on ammunition were recently forced to withdraw from the town of Avdiivka, in the east, after months of relentless shooting and bombing by Russian forces.

Now Russian forces are on the offensive along several points on the eastern front line as Ukraine waits for a $61 billion aid package held up by congressional Republicans.

Ukraine’s nuclear weapons industry: “We need your help now, and I’m sure you will,” Defense Minister Umerov told NPR

Zelenskyy said that they need their support within a month. I am certain there will be a positive decision. Otherwise, I will be left wondering what kind of world we live in.”

Defense minister Rustem Umerov, speaking at the Sunday’s form, said “the mathematics of war” could be avoided if 50% of military aid to Ukraine was delivered on time. He said Russia has spent $150 billion — or 15% of its GDP — on attacking Ukraine, which has far fewer resources.

In the last year, Ukraine has been developing its weapons industry. Oleksandr Kamyshin, the country’s minister of strategic industries, told NPR that Ukraine has the know-how to produce “at least the basic range of weapons and ammunition we need.”

Jens is said to have promised that NATO members will give a million drones to Ukraine this year. Kamyshin is suggesting that the countries buy the drones from Ukrainian manufacturers.

“At this point, we can already produce many more [drones] than the budget funds we have available,” he said. “We know the drones work on the front line. We are price competitive.”

Source: 31,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed so far in the war, Zelenskyy says

German Interior Minister Benjamin Zelenskyy tells Macron he’s asking for Mirage jets in order to increase arms supplies for Ukraine

European Union leaders are promising to speed up arms supplies. French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting European leaders on Monday to discuss military and diplomatic support for Ukraine. Zelenskyy, who is expected to attend via video link, said on Sunday that he’s asked Macron for Mirage fighter jets.