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War and fatigue in Ukraine

As another winter approaches, fighters, families and journalists share their experiences of the conflict

Winter is approaching once again in the war and, for all the combat in the summer, the situation remains largely unchanged for both Ukrainian and Russian forces. There is talk that the conflict could go on for many years.

President Volodymyr Zelensky is still firmly focused on victory for Ukraine but he admits that the mood among some of his international backers appears to be changing. But on the battlefields, what are the attitudes of Ukrainians?

Host Lukwesa Burak speaks to two Ukrainian soldiers, Yuriy, who was a journalist before the war broke out, and Olena, a sniper in the army who first joined as a volunteer in 2014.

We hear from families, including Olha, whose husband, father and brother are all fighting. “It’s constant fearing, constant uncertainty,” she tells us. “I never let my phone out of my hands, I always have it to check they are okay.”

We also bring together three journalists who are covering the conflict: Ukraine correspondent for the UK’s Financial Times, Christopher Miller, freelance journalist and documentary maker, Jessica Daly and Andriy Kulykov, a Ukrainian radio journalist for more than 40 years. They share with host of the ±«Óătv’s Ukrainecast, Vitaliy Shevchenko, that they are tired of reporting on the loss of life. But they say it motivates them to keep recording what they believe is the story of this century.

±«Óătv OS Conversations is a Boffin Media production in partnership with the OS team.

(Photo: Olha and her husband Yevhen in Ukraine. Credit: Annika Udovenko)

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23 minutes

Last on

Sun 1 Oct 2023 11:06GMT

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  • Sun 1 Oct 2023 11:06GMT