Artem at a UK military facility in southern England.
Carolina Rapezzi for BI
Ukrainian soldiers say it’s important for the West to keep supporting Ukraine against Russia.”Ukraine is like a first step to Europe,” one told Business Insider.Some EU countries say Russia may attack them next, and that Ukrainians are fighting for them.
Two Ukrainians fighting for their country urged Ukraine’s allies to keep supporting it, two years after the bloody conflict began in earnest.
Artem, 31, part of Ukraine’s national guard, said that if Ukraine fails, its European allies will be next in line for Russian aggression.
“They need to understand that Ukrainians fight not only for themselves,” Artem told BI.
“I am a Ukrainian, this is my land and my young daughter is waiting for me,” he added. “I don’t want this horrible life for her.”
February 24, 2024, marks the two-year anniversary of the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed or wounded, many more displaced, and parts of the country have been left in ruin.
Despite this, the war shows no sign of ending, and war fatigue is notable in some Ukrainian allies. Republicans in Congress are blocking further aid to Ukraine, and the EU is having a harder time pushing through financial support packages.
But Ukrainians see their role as a key bulwark against Russian aggression.
Another soldier, callsign Local, told BI that “it’s very important to help Ukraine and support Ukraine because Ukraine is like a first step to Europe. The second step will be Poland.”
Local joined the Ukrainian army in 2021, the year before Russia launched its full-scale invasion, but when proxy fighting was already taking place in Ukraine’s east.
He said he has to fight for Ukraine: “We have to do it because it’s our mission to have the flag of Ukraine on our territories, to see our flag, to see our fields, to see our home.”
The soldiers spoke to BI at a training camp in England, where they were taking part in a ten-week training program run by the UK military.
They aren’t the only ones to voice this concern about elsewhere in Europe being in the firing line.
The prime minister of Lithuania — a NATO and EU member and big Ukrainian ally — told BI last year that Ukrainians are dying to help protect Europe and that supporting Ukraine is “investing into our security.”
“If you want to stop Russia at the borders of Ukraine, you better provide Ukraine with all the weapons that Ukrainian army needs, because otherwise there might be no end to the war in Europe for a very significant period of time,” she said.
Multiple European NATO members have warned that Russia could attack a member state if it’s not defeated in Ukraine. This could bring the US directly into a war, as NATO considers an attack on one member to be an attack on all.
Last month, the director of the CIA, William J. Burns, said that the US cutting off aid to Ukraine would be an “own goal of historic proportions.”
He said supporting Ukraine gives the US big returns in weakening Russia for a modest investment.
But some allies’ support has been faltering.
US House Republicans have stalled $61 billion in aid, and some European countries say they don’t have enough weaponry in their arsenals to give, as the continent’s manufacturing has not ramped up enough to meet demand.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian soldiers have warned they are low on critical ammunition and weaponry, resulting in rationing, losses, and deaths.
Late last month, Ukraine’s defense minister said his forces could only fire a third of what Russia can each day.
Ukraine is also running low on the missiles holding back Russia’s fearsome air force.
The shortages are having a real-world impact: Ukraine pulled out of the eastern town of Avdiivka last week, and Russia gained its biggest prize in months.
The White House said Ukraine was forced to withdraw “after Ukrainian soldiers had to ration ammunition due to dwindling supplies as a result of congressional inaction.”