After more than a thousand days of war, there are signs that Ukraine is running out of manpower. Russia is capitalizing by seizing territory faster this year than it has since 2022, and terrorizing Ukrainians with cheaply made hovercraft – old Soviet-era munitions, upgraded wings and GPS.
Last fall, we spoke with Colonel Maxim Balagura, the commander of the Special Forces of the State Border Guard of Ukraine, and asked whether Russia's use of cruise bombs changed the trajectory of the war.
“They are the biggest threat at the moment,” he told us. “They are undermining our soldiers' motivation to win.”
In August, Ukrainians fought the largest foreign invasion of Russian territory since World War II.
But in October, the mood in Kyiv was gloomy and anxious. Ukrainians told us they fear that if Donald Trump wins the US election, he will cut off arms shipments and force the Ukrainian government to surrender territory.
One woman, Galina, said that her husband serves in the army and hopes that the Americans will not abandon them.
I asked, “Are you worried that Donald Trump might cut off arms shipments to Ukraine?”
– Yes, – she answered. – For us, this is a matter of survival.
After the election, President Joe Biden finally authorized Ukraine to strike Russia with US-supplied ATACMs — missiles with a range of nearly 200 miles — perhaps in an effort to help Ukraine maximize gains before Trump takes office.
Without a constant supply of American weapons, the front line of Ukraine may collapse. This would give Russian President Vladimir Putin a monumental victory. Throughout this brutal war of attrition, he expected the unity and determination of the West to collapse.
The plot was prepared by Mark Hudspeth. Editor: Ed Givenish.
