01/31/2024

As Ukraine Seeks to Replenish its Depleted Army, a Divide Grows Among Its Civilians

The country's early enthusiasm has tempered

At grocery stores, at work and in Kyiv's bustling streets, Olha Bilianska has been trying to hide her annoyance about a divide she sees growing in Ukrainian society.

It has been nearly two years since her husband, a border guard, enthusiastically volunteered to be mobilized into Ukraine's armed forces. It has been roughly six months since he was injured by shrapnel while fighting in the country's east. He's already redeployed, and it's now unclear when he'll be back home.

"I don't understand why those who joined the armed forces first are still there protecting our country," she said, while other people — she gestures toward a busy Kyiv street — "are just living their normal lives."

Please select this link to read the complete article from the NPR.