In early September, Ukrainian forces regained northeastern and southern territories while driving back Russian forces, changing the war dramatically. Kharkiv and Izyum, regions formerly occupied are now mostly liberated and under the control of Ukraine, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainian forces have reclaimed over 8,000 square kilometers of territory this month.

Russian forces retreated from areas near the border that had been occupied since March. Experts believe that this was due to inadequate supplies and lack of reinforcements, evidenced by the unorganized retreat from Kharkiv and the amount of abandoned military hardware. President Vladimir Putin acknowledged the slow progress by saying that the offensive operations will go slowly, but Russian forces will gradually occupy new territories.

“It does seem like the Russian forces have been pushed back,” Emma Kim (11), Gov/Pol student, said. “Over the last few months, they have been defeated by the Ukrainian forces and have not done much to reclaim the land that they lost.”

Meanwhile, citizens in Ukraine are suffering from the effects of the invasion.

In the formerly occupied Izyum, investigators found mass graves containing more than 400 civilians and as many as 17 soldiers. Officers stated that some of the corpses had signs of torture, and many cannot be identified due to decomposition and damage to their faces. 

According to civilians, many Ukranians were displaced, some had family taken away by soldiers, and others were executed or raped. Even then, civilians are under the constant threat of being shelled or bombed. 

“Bucha, Mariupol, now, unfortunately, Izyum… Russia leaves death everywhere,” President Zelenskyy said.

Now, Russian regions near the conflict are also preparing for war as Ukraine continues its offensive, including Belgograd, an area in Southern Russia only miles away from the border with Ukraine. The governor of Belgograd Region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, ordered local authorities to check bomb shelters, volunteers cut down trees to build fortifications, and schools near the border are temporarily closed in fear of the conflict ending up in the region. 

“There are some people in Ukraine who support Russia and many people in Russia that support Ukraine, and many Russians who are against this are fleeing the country,” Nadia Kim, World History teacher and MUN adviser, said. “I think these events will be seen as a major tragedy to people who actually care about human rights, especially since civilians are being targeted and killed leading to a huge loss of life.”

President Putin has also signed a decree that will send Russians who have gone through military training to fight in the war, leading to more citizens fleeing the country to countries in Central Asia or elsewhere to avoid conscription. 

“People are definitely opening their eyes to the fact that Russia might be losing right now,” Minji Kim (10), MUN student, said. “This kind of situation can be rare, since anti-war sentiments in Russia are illegal and therefore practically non-existent.” 

Through these continuous tragic events, many wonder when this conflict will end. While President Putin stated that he will do everything to “stop this as soon as possible,” experts believe that the war will continue into the winter. Although the outcome of the conflict is unclear at the moment, many believe that the conflict will end messily regardless of who wins.

“For now, it is hard to tell whether it will slowly die down or if it will escalate,” Ms. Kim said. “Given how Russia approached this conflict by suddenly invading another nation and disregarding its sovereignty, I am not sure if Russia will be willing to accept defeat if Ukraine does advance further, and it might escalate the situation further if that happens.”