Maintaining support for Ukraine one year on from Putin’s invasion

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Ukraine, one year on

While walking with my housemates along Middle Arch on Friday afternoon, we noticed a group of people gathered outside the Galway City Museum across the water in the distance, every other person in the huddle donning a yellow and blue flag in their hands or around their shoulders.

I hadn’t realised it until then, when we spotted them and made the connection, that a year has already passed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine took place, with last Friday, February 24th 2023, marking a year to the day since Russian President Vladimir Putin announced and put into motion a “special military operation” seeking the “demilitarisation” and “denazification” of the neighbouring country.

The fallout of this ongoing conflict has been devastating, with (at least) tens of thousands of deaths and even more injuries, in addition to the massive amount of infrastructural damage incurred over the past twelve months as a result of the invasion. The conflict has also led to the displacement of 2.9 million Ukrainians from their home country out of concern for their safety. And a year on, despite progress in some respects, unfortunately no near end to the war seems in sight, with Putin continuing his tirade in the face of united global opposition,