Header photo courtesy of Marjan Blan.
As of 18th November 2024, this iteration of Russia’s war on Ukraine has been going for 1000 days. It has been 10 years since the Russian annexation of the Crimea peninsula and installation of “republics” in the provinces of Luhansk & Donetsk.
2 million people were displaced as a result of the first invasion (in 2022, countless people became refugees for a second time). Along with millions more fleeing Ukraine since 2022, it is thought that 14.6 million people still living in the country will require humanitarian aid.
This is not just about the present and future of Ukraine — though that’s very important in its own right, of course. Russia’s continued brutality has repercussions on the general security of Europe, as well as food security and ecology across the globe. We all have a stake in this.
I’m a UK citizen and long-term resident of Germany. My partner is Ukrainian, as are several of my friends (including ones I knew before the 2022 invasion).
Some of them have had to organise the evacuation of their family from front-line cities. Others have family members who remain in their hometowns and witness acts of terror almost every day. My partner continues to personally help especially vulnerable refugees to navigate life in Berlin.
Overview from 26/05/2024 By Viewsridge - own work based on: Russo-Ukrainian conflict (2014-2022).svg by Rr016 & Ukraine adm location map improved.svg by Yakiv Gluck Sources: Template: Russo-Ukrainian War detailed map / Template: Russo-Ukrainian War detailed relief mapISW, CC BY-SA 4.0