Ukraine-Russia war drags on into 2024
Al Jazeera
The year 2023 started with high hopes for Ukrainian troops planning a counteroffensive against Russia. But it is ending with disappointment on the battlefield, an increasingly sombre mood among troops, and anxiety about the future of Western aid for Ukraine’s war effort.
In between, there was a short-lived rebellion in Russia, a dam collapse in Ukraine, and the spilling of much blood on both sides of the conflict.
Twenty-two months since Russia invaded its neighbour, it has about one-fifth of Ukraine in its grip, and the roughly 1,000km (620-mile) front line has barely budged this year.
Meanwhile, away from the battlefield, in Western countries that have championed Ukraine’s struggle against its much bigger adversary, political deliberations over billions in financial aid are increasingly strained.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is playing a waiting game two years into a war that has proved to be costly for the Kremlin. He is wagering that the West’s support will gradually crumble, fractured by political divisions, eroded by war fatigue and distracted by other demands, such as China’s menacing of Taiwan and Israel’s war on Gaza.
