The war in Ukraine has lasted four years and is now entering its fifth. Ukrainians continue their lives without knowing when the fighting will end, while Russian officials say they have yet to achieve all their war objectives.
Foreign news agencies report that Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine reached its four-year mark on 24 Feb 2026 GMT+7, amid widespread losses and suffering for Ukrainians who face daily attacks. Many lack electricity and running water due to destroyed infrastructure.
Four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, residents of Kyiv reflect on the war's events.
Svitlana Yure, a 48-year-old Kyiv resident, said she “held hope until the very last second” that war would not break out. “Even on the morning of 24 February 2022, when I woke to the sound of explosions, I still thought it was a tire bursting somewhere,” she told Reuters.
Many ask how much longer the war will drag on. For 63-year-old teacher Viktor Buinovsky, it all depends on Putin. “Everything depends on one person... that is the Russian president... He started this war, and he must be the one to end it.”
Meanwhile, Lyudmyla Taran, another Kyiv resident and mother of a soldier fighting on the front lines, said she wishes for the war to end as soon as possible. “My child has been at the front for four years... I want it to end today.”
She also urged “those at the top to make a decision about this issue. I don’t care how they decide, but I want peace.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian leader Vladimir Putin has failed to break the spirit of Ukrainians since the invasion began four years ago.
“Today marks exactly four years since Putin launched the operation to capture Kyiv within three days,” Zelensky said via the Telegram app. “And that says a lot about our resistance and how Ukraine has fought throughout this time.”
Zelensky said behind these words are “millions of our people, great courage, incredible hard work, persistent endurance, and the long path Ukraine has walked since 24 February 2022.”
“Looking back at the start of the invasion and what has happened today, we can rightfully say we have defended our sovereignty. We have not lost statehood, and Putin has not yet achieved his goals,” he added.
“He has not destroyed the Ukrainians; he has not won this war,” Zelensky emphasized. “We have preserved Ukraine, and we will do everything possible to achieve peace and justice. Victory to Ukraine!”
Meanwhile, Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for the Kremlin government, said Russia has not yet fulfilled all the objectives of its special military operation in Ukraine, which is why the conflict continues.
Moscow demands the transfer of eastern Ukrainian regions, known as Donbas, to Russia—a condition Kyiv cannot accept. This has led to the suspension of multiple rounds of negotiations mediated by the United States over recent months.
Peskov also said the past four years have been “extremely important” for Russia and will “remain in people's memory forever.”
Follow international news:https://www.thairath.co.th/news/foreign
Source:bbc