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As the war in Ukraine reaches the grim milestone of 100 days, a Ukrainian living in Saskatoon says it’s possible the conflict could last another 100 days or longer.
Petro Skirchuk moved to Canada about a year ago, and said he feels like he’s lived “many lives” since then.
The war in Ukraine rages on, with Russia still occupying large areas of the country. In many ways, Skirchuk said, not much has changed since the start of the conflict.
“A lot of Ukrainians had to leave their homes in eastern Ukraine, and they still cannot come home because it’s not safe,” Skirchuk said.
He said he’s not surprised the war has gone on this long, and “definitely” expects it to continue for some time.
Petro Skirchuk and his family. (Petro Skirchuk/Submitted)
Skirchuk attributed that to the high stakes for Russia, saying surrender or loss are not options for the country, or its president, Vladimir Putin.
“With Russia, it’s still not easy, even now,” Skirchuk said, explaining that Russian forces cannot go back to their own country without first achieving a significant result in Ukraine.
Skirchuk said the majority of Russians still support the war, and backing out could be seen as a sign of weakness from their leader.
“For Putin, it’s a one-way ticket,” Skirchuk said. “He can’t just come back … Coming back to Russian borders will be like a failure.”
According to Skirchuk, Russians demand a leader who “demonstrates his power all the time,” and do not like to see weakness.
“For Putin to come back means to lose everything, even his life,” he said.
Ukraine is still waiting for weapons it can use to liberate parts of its country, Skirchuk said. For his country to emerge victorious from the conflict, he said a push would likely have to come before September or October.
If the war continues into the winter, he said, the cold weather means Russia could gain more leverage over the countries dependent on its resources.
Skirchuk said he understands the war is difficult for people to hear about, but the reality is unavoidable and very real each day to him and to his his fellow Ukrainians — including friends and family members who are fighting across the ocean.
While attention spans might be wavering with the war dragging on, Skirchuk encouraged people to not turn a blind eye.
“It’s really important to understand that without this support, Ukraine couldn’t endure 100 days,” he said.