Ukraine has now been fighting the Russian invasion for nearly three years. Ukrainians want the war to end, but they don't all agree on how. DW assesses the mood among residents and former soldiers in Kyiv.
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00:00A memorial to fallen soldiers in Maidan or Independence Square in the heart of Kiev.
00:07A place to pay tribute as Ukraine ushers in yet another year under the shadow of war.
00:16The sea of flags has grown steadily as the country's losses pile up.
00:23There are such a lot of people who have died.
00:31My nephew was killed in October in Donetsk.
00:37Every time you're on the city centre, you're forced to see it.
00:40It's a direct reminder to people that the war is going on, that it takes the lives of
00:44the best of us.
00:47This is another heavy price the war has extracted.
00:52Fedir Sambursky was hit by a drone while serving near Kherson in 2022.
00:58He needed multiple surgeries.
01:03He opened this cafe two weeks ago, supported by a charity that helps veterans like him
01:08with rehabilitation.
01:11It's a meeting point for injured soldiers and their families.
01:16Here people like Fedir can be productive again.
01:21I enjoy the feeling when you lie down in the evening with that pleasant light exhaustion.
01:25I really love it.
01:26I'm passionate about this project.
01:33The charity is trying hard to lift spirits for the new year, but few here are in the
01:39mood to celebrate.
01:43There's no festive mood because, unfortunately, the war continues and our comrades and civilians
01:49are dying in Ukraine.
01:50But on the other hand, we need to keep going for our children.
01:59Not everyone agrees.
02:01Some of these former soldiers say it's time to end the bloodshed, though they don't agree
02:06on how.
02:09It's difficult to talk about it.
02:10I don't want to lie to anyone.
02:12Let the Russians stay in the territories they have destroyed, but they should not be allowed
02:16to go a kilometer further, not even one meter, so that our country can create solid borders
02:22and they will not be able to invade again.
02:28I think the sooner there will be some negotiations, the sooner the war ends, the better it will
02:33be.
02:34But the war should end on conditions that Ukraine remains Ukraine and we should not
02:40lose what we are fighting for.
02:44If and when the fighting stops, one thing is sure, Ukraine will have many more injured
02:50soldiers it will need to find a place for in society.
02:55Fedir hopes his cafe can serve as an example.
03:00I really want to create conditions for our soldiers so that after we win the war, they
03:05understand that someone is there for them, that they have somewhere to go and that they
03:08are not forgotten.
03:11Despite the pessimism, there's some hope here as well, that 2025 could bring a resolution
03:18in the conflict, one that leads to a fair deal in Ukraine.