Anniversary of the start of the war
Death, flight and destruction in Ukraine
The destroyed Hotel Odessa in the port city of the same name. The hotel was hit by Russian cruise missiles on September 25, 2023. photo
© Kay Nietfeld/dpa
On the second anniversary of the start of Russia’s war of aggression, Ukraine is facing an uncertain future. Flight, mobilization and destruction characterize everyday life. The country is hoping for Western help.
Escape and death
Millions of people are fleeing Russian attacks – within the country and abroad. According to the United Nations, more than 10,000 civilians, including hundreds of children, lost their lives in the attack on the country ordered by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin. There are around twice as many injured people. The UN has no access to many long-contested cities now occupied by Russia, such as Mariupol, Lysychansk, Popasna and Sievierodonetsk. The true number of deaths is therefore likely to be significantly higher. In addition, tens of thousands of soldiers were killed.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates that around 6.5 million people have fled Ukraine abroad since the start of the war. It says 3.7 million were displaced by fighting and destruction and found refuge in their own country. According to the UN, more than 14.6 million people or around 40 percent of the population needed humanitarian assistance. Almost 20 percent of the country, including the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, is occupied by Russian troops.
Air Alert
The wailing of air raid sirens is one of the constant companions of war for Ukraine – throughout the country. Often several times a day. This warns of possible Russian air strikes with missiles, drones or bombing by aircraft. The regions closest to the front in the east and south of the country and near the Russian border are most affected. Since the start of the war, according to statistics from alerts.in.ua, air alerts have been sounded more than 33,000 times in the country. More than 3,800 times in the Donetsk region and a good 1,000 times in the capital Kiev. In the capital, the alarms lasted a total of almost 50 days during two years of war.
Because of the large number of alarms, many Ukrainians tend to ignore them. Others seek refuge inside their homes or in city shelters. The constant attacks and alarms for school children are particularly damaging. In the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv near the Russian border, many children learn underground in classrooms specially set up in subway stations. The anti-aircraft defense system, which Germany also supplied, repeatedly reports successes in defense.
Curfew
Since martial law was declared, there have been night curfews in almost all regions of the country. From 11 p.m. or midnight local time, no one is allowed to stay outside without special permission, and restaurants close then. The closure will be lifted again around 4:00 a.m. or 5:00 a.m. In areas close to the front such as Donetsk, Kherson and parts of the Zaporizhia region, even stricter rules apply.
Stable supply situation with high prices
The shock of war also affected Ukraine’s economic life. Despite measures to stabilize the national currency, the hryvnia has lost a good 30 percent of its value against the euro. Imports from abroad became more expensive. Prices rose by more than 26 percent in the first year of the war. In the second year of the war, inflation fell to around five percent. Nevertheless, Ukrainians are feeling the costs, particularly when it comes to food prices.
The general supply situation has remained stable. The gas station chains quickly got the fuel crisis under control in spring 2022 following Russian attacks on oil refineries and fuel depots. Despite the war, a liter of gasoline costs an average of 1.25 euros, significantly less than in Germany. The power outages in the winter of 2022/2023 after massive Russian air strikes, especially on substations, have already been almost forgotten.
Low incomes
In what was already the poorest country in Europe before the Russian invasion, average wages rose nominally by over 20 percent since the beginning of the war. But converted into euros, they fell by almost five percent to around 435 euros. Meanwhile, the 10.5 million Ukrainian pensioners receive an average of 35 percent more in hryvnia, which is still only around 130 euros per month.
Mobilization and exit bans
Immediately after the Russian attack, President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered a general mobilization. This entails a ban on leaving the country for men of military age between 18 and 60. Men between the ages of 27 and 60 are actually drafted. Lowering the reservist age to 25 is under discussion.
At the beginning of the war, tens of thousands of Ukrainians volunteered. After two years of war and high losses with an estimated over 100,000 dead, tens of thousands of war disabled people, thousands of prisoners and missing people, Kiev can hardly count on volunteers and has to resort to increasingly harsh recruitment methods. Of the more than 800,000 soldiers, a good 300,000 are said to be deployed directly at the front. In addition, hundreds of thousands of men avoided military service by fleeing abroad. Around 800,000 have found refuge in European countries.
War weariness
The discontent of the women and families of long-term service workers has been growing for a long time. They only see their husbands, sons and fathers on rare, short vacations from the front – or on video. Wives and mothers are increasingly venting their anger at demonstrations. They demand the right to rotation and dismissal for long-term servants. Because of the great need for soldiers and the deteriorating situation at the front, there is little prospect of anything changing.
Ukraine aid
Without the help of the West, Ukraine cannot survive. Around half of the country’s state budget is paid from abroad, for example for civil service salaries and pensions. According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (ifw), the approved humanitarian, military and financial aid from January 24, 2022 to January 15 of this year has so far amounted to more than 250 billion euros. Of this, around 144 billion euros come from the states and institutions of the EU and 67.7 billion from the USA. The rest comes from other donor countries.
According to the institute, Germany makes the largest contribution to military aid among the EU members, with a total of 17.7 billion euros. There are also expenses for refugees. For comparison: According to ifw, the USA has so far allocated 42.2 billion euros for military aid.