What Makes Ukraine So Hard to Defeat

Now in its fifth year, the war in Ukraine may not dominate the headlines as it once did. But for Ukrainians living through it, the reality of life at war persists. Over the weekend, Russia launched its deadliest attack of this year, killing at least 38 people in the suburbs of Kyiv. The attack came just days after Ukraine celebrated its 35th anniversary of independence from Russia.

Sebastian Junger has spent his career reporting from conflicts, including in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan. He was in Ukraine for that anniversary, speaking to soldiers and civilians about what it takes to endure a war with no clear end. This essay originally appeared on his Substack, TRIBE with Sebastian Junger, and we were struck by his description of both the brutality of this war and the way it has drawn Ukrainians together under extraordinary strain. It is a sober account of a war many have stopped paying attention to. —The Editors

Kyiv, Ukraine — Last week, I was invited by the government of Ukraine to give a talk about national resilience on the 35th anniversary of its independence from Russia. That separation had been decided by a national referendum and finalized with an agreement between the two countries that lasted until Russia invaded Crimea and Eastern Ukraine in 2014. Eight years later, in late February 2022, it launched a full-scale invasion which included an armored column barreling eastward from the Russia-allied country of Belarus.

My talk was one of many to a large delegation of international dignitaries and diplomats under a tent by the gorgeous Saint Sofia Cathedral in Kyiv. Estonia was there, as well as Finland, Lithuania, Serbia, Romania, and even England. Not only was the backdrop spectacular, but the proximity to the famous cathedral may have been a hedge against getting rocketed by the Russians. I’ve had skeptics tell me that Russia had to invade Ukraine because NATO was trying to lure the country into their ranks. In truth, Russia invaded Chechnya (twice), Transnistria, Georgia, Crimea, and Eastern Ukraine without NATO moving a muscle. The Baltic states understandably joined NATO to protect themselves from a repeat of Russia’s takeover of their territories in 1940, and Ukraine was obviously worried about the same thing.

After my talk and a chance to meet First Lady Olena Zelenska, I was asked by a local media network what I thought of Ukraine. I said that my own country, the United States, might save itself from fracture and collapse by studying how the Ukrainian people have come together during the dark days of this terrible war. One man said he had joined the military to fight despite an exemption for anyone with over two children. He was scared of telling his wife, though, but when he did, she replied, “Good. If you hadn’t joined, I would have.” A Kazakh who volunteered for the International Brigade had his elbow shot out by a large caliber round. The elbow was completely replaced by metal, but his arm hung limply. “It was interesting,” he said about fighting. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”