Now, 1,000 days later, none of these expectations have played out. Since the beginning of the war, hundreds of thousands of people have died, with overall casualties likely exceeding a million. It has surpassed the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s to become the largest and bloodiest war in Europe since World War II,

So, while Ukraine remains strong and motivated, its citizens are becoming exhausted after nearly three years of war. In February 2022, Ukraine was caught off guard by the invasion, despite warnings from western intelligence about Putin’s imminent attack.