At War’s Two-Year Mark, Ukraine Needs a “Plot Twist”

MARINKA, UKRAINE – DECEMBER 8: A Ukrainian soldier in a front-line position on December 8, 2021 in Marinka, Ukraine. A build-up of Russian troops along the border with Ukraine has heightened worries that Russia intends to invade the Donbas region, most of which is held by separatists after a 7-year-long war with the Ukrainian government. On Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden met with Russian President Vladimir Putin via video conference to discuss the escalation tensions. (Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)

Posted: February 20th, 2024

SUBSCRIBER+ EXCLUSIVE REPORTING – For Ukraine, the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion offered reasons for hope. The country had thwarted the initial assault on Kyiv, routed Russian forces in Kharkiv and Kherson, inflicted staggering levels of Russian casualties and made a global hero of the comedian-turned-president Volodymyr Zelensky. The courage and prowess of the Ukrainians, along with Russia’s brutality, had accomplished the reverse of what Vladimir Putin had intended: NATO was galvanized, and Ukraine won a huge outlay of financial and military aid. One year ago, a Ukrainian counteroffensive loomed, and some Western officials and analysts suggested Putin and his “special military operation” were on the ropes.

On February 24, 2023, Zelensky marked the anniversary with a vow: “We know that 2023 will be the year of our victory!”

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