‘Everyone is sick of this war’

How realistic do Ukrainian and Russian troops on the frontline think the prospect of a lasting peace is?

As Russia renewed its missile strikes on Ukraine on Monday following a brief pause in hostilities over Easter, the possibility of a stable ceasefire seemed as distant as ever. How do those serving on the frontlines rate the chances of a lasting peace?

‘Victory is a precondition for peace’

Russian serviceman, call sign Archangel:

“Biden’s aid package is coming to an end. The Ukrainians have huge personnel problems, while we’ve become good fighters. Russia may well continue to advance now with its existing forces, and it’s getting increasingly difficult for our opponents to hold the frontline. I’m sure that without a break they’ll soon start retreating again. And Trump clearly doesn’t want to give them another penny. No wonder he hasn’t signed off on any new aid packages. Everyone is sick and tired of this war. It should have been over long ago!

If a long-term peace isn’t agreed between the two sides, the war will continue to escalate. Russia will use all the weapons it didn’t use during the truce. There’ll be huge destruction of infrastructure, such as ports and the gas industry.

Russia’s victory is one of the preconditions for long-term peace. All four entire [occupied Ukrainian] regions and Crimea must become part of Russia too, and that has to be enshrined in official documents. Ukraine also needs to return to its constitution of 2013, which means a neutral, non-aligned status, Russian as an official language, the return of all property belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the punishment of all its persecutors. It makes no sense to settle for less.”

‘It’s better to negotiate than to fight’

Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) serviceman, call sign Sniper, who has been fighting since 2015:

“The guys are very tired of fighting. Many are clinging on with their last strength. This is the fourth year of the war. The AFU is lacking equipment and ammunition. We need tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, artillery, HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems, and air defence systems from the West. In my section of the frontline, the Russians have destroyed two HIMARS launchers, and we’re not getting new ones. The German Leopard tanks have performed very well, while the American Abrams tanks are hugely overrated. The side armour doesn’t withstand strikes well, meaning they’re not well suited to our conditions at all. Even so, we’re critically short of them.

Many commanders who used to be normal guys have become full of themselves. They used to eat with their men, but now they couldn’t care less about their subordinates. A lot of stupid decisions are being made. To start with, there was jingoism in Ukraine. Then many fought out of a sense of duty. But now there aren’t many people left who want to enlist and serve at the front.

Ukrainian society is divided into two roughly equal parts. One half is ready for a ceasefire, the other half is ready to fight on.

It’d be better to negotiate than to fight. After all, it’s only going to get worse. Sober-minded people understand that, sadly, Ukraine will have to say goodbye to Crimea and Donbas for a while or even forever. Almost everyone there who loved their homeland and didn’t want to live under the occupiers has already left anyway, while those that stayed behind support the Russians, have received Russian passports and are working for the aggressor. They’ve become puppets. What’s left that’s Ukrainian? Is it worth paying with the lives of our people for them?

Note that the Ukrainian authorities only talk about enemy losses. No one knows how many of our soldiers and officers have been killed or wounded. We can assume it’s a high number. That’s a much more important figure than the number of Russians killed. In the Lviv region, where I live, the media says we’re burying about five people a day. And those are just the ones we know about.

Ukrainian society is divided into two roughly equal parts. One half is ready for a ceasefire, the other half is ready to fight on. As a rule, the west of the country is more radical. But even in the east, many won’t stand for peace on Russian terms. The politicians need to negotiate so that the border goes along the line of combat and not an inch further.”

‘Putin is just procrastinating’

Officer in a Russian militia unit currently fighting in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region:

“We will finish off Ukraine. We’ll soon break through all their defences and go wherever we want. There’s only a little way more to go. We didn’t need this truce. The AFU is scattering and 100,000 servicemen have deserted. No one wants to join the army, while we have thousands of new volunteers signing up every day. Now, with negotiations already underway, people are signing up in droves. Everyone wants to make money. In Ukrainian cities and villages, the army recruitment centres abduct men from the streets and send them indiscriminately to the frontline.

After victory, we will ask for retribution for every fallen comrade. They will rebuild the destroyed cities for us if they don’t want to see Russian tanks on their streets.

We have learned how to fight in these three and a bit years. We’re tired, of course, but it will all be over soon. We have enough of everything — it’s not like the early days of war. We have enough shells, the North Korean supplies have really helped, whereas the Ukrainians are running out of ammunition. We’ve knocked out a lot of Western equipment, and no more is going in. They’re running out of tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and artillery. All their weapons need repairing, but there’s nowhere for the AFU to get spare parts.

It’s time for Zelensky to think about how to save lives and not how to hang on to power. He was offered much softer surrender terms in 2022. If he’d agreed then, he would have lost less territory, and hundreds of thousands of people would still be alive. But Europe needs this war. After victory, we will ask for retribution for every fallen comrade. They will rebuild the destroyed cities for us if they don’t want to see Russian tanks on their streets.”

‘We weren’t interested in a truce’

AFU officer, call sign Kozyr, fighting since 2022:

“This is no time to give up. The Russians can’t even clear our troops from the territory around Sudzha in the Kursk region or from the Belgorod region, where very heavy fighting is ongoing. The enemy’s offensive has stopped elsewhere too. They attempted to break through our lines near Toretsk, at Kostiantynivka, but we stopped them and destroyed an armoured group. The AFU continues to counterattack near Pokrovsk. The Russians won’t be able to capture any major cities in the area. So we weren’t interested in a truce. If politicians took servicemen’s opinions into account, there would be no talk of negotiations. Either we win or we lose. There’s no third option.

Our unit is near Sumy now. The people in the city are determined to fight for their land. Most of the people in the city believe in the AFU and are ready to help in any way they can. While our brothers are fighting in Russia, we have had time to dig in and prepare for the Russian offensive. We’ll fight them off.

No agreement signed by Putin is worth the paper it’s printed on.

We will not give the Russians Kherson or Zaporizhzhia. If Zelensky falters on that, he’ll be removed from power straight away by the people rather than the military. That’s not what we’ve been fighting for over three years for, to give up our land without a fight. I’ve seen a lot of great guys buried. Their blood demands retribution. When you hold a dying person’s hand, you promise him that he gave up his life for a reason. Trump can’t make me break my word.

The Ukrainian army now has over 700,000 fighters. We have weapons, new technology, and combat experience — the enemy cannot break us. It’s no wonder airstrikes on civilian targets have become so frequent again, they’re hoping Ukrainians will beg for mercy. But it won’t happen.

Anyway, no agreement signed by Putin is worth the paper it’s printed on. If we agree to a truce now, Russia will simply regroup and launch a new offensive. Who needs that sort of peace?”