1000 days of Russia's invasion: Fighters shared with Focus how the war has evolved and what to expect moving forward.

Today marks the 1000th day of the war, the struggle against the Russian occupiers who launched a full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. Over nearly three years of fighting, Ukraine has lost territories, retreated, launched counteroffensives, and reclaimed captured cities and villages. Moreover, the Defense Forces managed to penetrate enemy territory and initiate the Kursk operation, which significantly impacts the situation across the entire front.

The enemy continues to attack peaceful cities in Ukraine using various types of weaponry, while the Defense Forces strike military targets in Russia with drones. Recently, Kiev received authorization for strikes on the enemy's rear with Western long-range missiles, which will further improve Ukraine's position in the future.

1000 Days of War: The Ukrainian Nation Has Emerged

The war did not start in 2022 but back in February 2014 when Russia occupied Crimea, reminds Ukrainian Armed Forces fighter Kirill Yakovlev.

What is important now is that Ukraine has stood firm. According to him, this is solely due to those Ukrainians who went to defend the Motherland in the early days of the war and those who supported this effort globally.

Whether things are good or bad now, the military does not claim to know, but it is essential to learn from mistakes. If Ukraine improves faster than the enemy, it will prevail. He is convinced that Ukrainians will succeed if they remember what it means to be united and help one another.

The commander of the "Achilles" strike drone battalion of the 92nd Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Ivan Sirko, Yuri Fedorенко, believes that after 1000 days of war, "the Ukrainian nation has emerged." He noted that the best world leaders and experts predicted Ukraine wouldn't last more than three days in direct confrontation with Russia, but the united efforts of Ukrainians in their fight against the enemy proved that the entire world was mistaken.

According to him, Russians suffer immeasurable losses on the battlefield compared to the tactical results they have achieved and the territories they have occupied. He believes that Russia will take decades to recover after Ukraine's victory. Specifically, Russia has not fulfilled and will not fulfill its objective of destroying Ukrainian statehood and all Ukrainians.

"During this time of full-scale war, I am endlessly proud to be a representative of the Ukrainian nation. I am endlessly proud to be Ukrainian," the military emphasized.

Fedorенко pointed out that the enemy understands that Ukrainians can be defeated by dividing and pitting them against each other. Therefore, the task of society is to be more united than it was even at the start of the full-scale invasion. He is convinced that Ukraine will be able to push the occupiers back.

The Great War in Ukraine: What Has Changed

However, Lieutenant of the Armed Forces with the callsign "Alex" noted that it doesn't matter whether it's the 1000th day of war, the 1001st, or the 10,000th. In reality, for the fighters on the front lines, it doesn't matter what day it is; they do not keep count.

"This is already a very good indicator that we are doing something right in this life. But there is a big question about how we need to think about winning not only diplomatically but also militarily. If the situation at the front is not good, then no diplomacy will help us," the fighter said.

According to him, on the 1000th day of the war, it is crucial to understand that the primary priority moving forward must be reforming the Ukrainian military, approaches to conducting warfare, and the tactics and strategies themselves to modern standards.

"The thousandth day of war shows once again that this is a great war, a highly complex war, a continental-level war that requires strategic understanding. It cannot be compared to the ATO, the wars in the Balkans, and so on. It can only be compared to continental wars—in terms of scale and capabilities," says Borodin.

Lieutenant Anastasia Blishchik from the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade shares a similar opinion. According to her, the 1000th day of war is entirely different from the first. In particular, at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, people were ready to fight, volunteering and helping, whereas now military personnel feel much less support.

She noted that this is great because at the beginning of the invasion, Ukraine was underestimated; people didn’t believe it would survive, thinking the country would be gone, and Kyiv would be taken in three days, and so on. But now the whole world understands that Ukrainians are a powerful nation ready to defend their country.

A soldier from the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade with the callsign "Muchnoi" believes that the 1000th day of war demonstrates Ukrainian strength and resilience.

"This once again proves that we remain a nation of indomitable sons of Ukraine who must not dishonor our ancestors and show our spirit, our roots. All we need to do is fight and not give up, not yield to provocations, not accept their conditions, and continue to defend our Motherland. Through hard times and fierce battles, the willpower of each warrior is tempered; the more you experience hell, the more fire becomes your ally. We continue to fight for the most sacred thing we have and give the enemy no chance. The war will end only with our victory and the enemy's surrender!" — declared "Muchnoi".

However, former MP and military Igor Lutsenko is dissatisfied with the current behavior of Ukrainian society.

Winter Will Be Hard: What the Development of the War and Victory Depend On

According to Deputy Commander of the 3rd Separate Mechanized Brigade Maxim Zhorin, unfortunately, the war is currently not going in our favor.

The military believes that only a comprehensive set of measures can bring about a Ukrainian victory, involving both external and internal work.

"Nothing will work separately. We must focus on internal work: developing the defense industry, establishing our production, changing approaches to troop deployment, and altering information and internal ideological policies. Of course, external political assistance is necessary — in the form of weapons, ammunition, and diplomatic support," Zhorin said.

Anastasia Blishchik noted that no one knows how the war will evolve. According to her, everyone expects that Donald Trump, who became the President of the United States, will end the war in 24 hours. In the soldier's opinion, no one understands under what conditions this would be, particularly that they will not be favorable for Ukraine.

Moreover, people living far from the front lines do not understand that Putin will not stop.

"And if the next war starts, and it will start, then those people who are now shouting that it’s all over and we need to end this war, who need to sit down at the negotiating table and give away half of our country — must understand that these frontline territories will then become Russian cities and villages," Blishchik believes.

She noted that the authorization to strike Russian territory is good news. She wants Russia to feel what war is like, and for as many Russians as possible to understand pain, suffering, and being left with nothing.

According to Yuri Fedorенко, the prospect of using additional weapons for strikes on Russia could significantly impact the course of military actions. He pointed out that Putin understands only strength, which Ukrainian partners must share with Kyiv.

"Where Putin gets hit, results can be achieved," he emphasized.

Fedorенко noted that it does not depend on Trump how quickly the war will end, but solely on Putin's capabilities to conduct battles. Meanwhile, Trump will have a choice: either he understands the nature of Russia and provides Ukraine with the promised strength, resulting in the Defense Forces pushing the enemy back, or he will choose another path. In his opinion, the first scenario is very likely, while the second will yield no results.

"Only Putin determines how long the war will last. For Putin to make a different decision, he must be deprived of the means to wage this war. This comes from increased control and an escalation of sanctions policy to block Russia, particularly concerning energy resources. This also pertains to the direct ability to destroy military targets of the enemy on its territory," says the battalion commander.

Kirill Yakovlev stated that the war could develop in many ways. The first is a freezing of the conflict if Europe and the USA limit funding, supplies of weapons, and ammunition. In such a case, freezing the conflict would equate to a loss.

"Yes, not tomorrow, not in a week, maybe in a year, two, three… but it would be just like in 2014 when we froze the conflict, did nothing from 2014 to 2022. And that is why we faced a full-scale war," he said.

The second option the fighter mentions is protests in Russia