Feb. 24 marks the fourth anniversary of the start of the Russo-Ukrainian war. At the start of the invasion, Russian leadership, as well as some European leaders, now allies of Ukraine, believed that Ukraine would lose within a few weeks.
The war started when Russia invaded Ukraine in an attempt to capture as much land as possible, including Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv. Russia initially gained control of a large amount of Ukrainian territory, about 27%, according to The Times.
On Apr. 6, 2022, Russia withdrew its troops from Ukraine’s capital region. Many of the following attacks have been focused on Ukraine’s southern and eastern regions, especially the city of Kherson, a major city located on the Dnipro river. That river runs straight through Ukraine and whoever controls it, has a strategic advantage.
The invasion of Ukraine was another offensive action during the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which started when Ukraine left the Soviet Union in 1991.
President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly claimed that Ukraine has never been its own country, and that it has always belonged to Russia for the entirety of his presidency. Throughout the war, casualties have been extremely high, numbering almost 1.2 million, and could reach 2 million by spring.
In the last year, Russia has managed to take about 1,800 square miles of Ukrainian territory. Russia has captured most of Eastern Ukraine, including the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, with goals to capture the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
The recent peace talks ended without any breakthrough, mainly because Russia once again tried to claim the Donbas region. On Feb. 26, Russia also launched an aerial attack against Ukraine overnight including 420 drones and 39 missiles across eight regions of Ukraine.
The war has affected families across the globe, including students at Meridian..
“My aunt married my uncle and his family is in Ukraine and they lived in Kyiv…We were all really scared for them,” freshman Claire Vernon said.
In addition, Falls Church houses a population of refugees. These students also faced separation from their home, country and family.
“It’s really displaced us because we used to live in Ukraine…It creates this isolation from your family,” sophomore Adrian Krupa commented.
