Can the war in Ukraine end this year? - OPINION

Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine is entering a more violent phase. The war has deprived millions of people in Ukraine of shelter and work, part of the country has been occupied. According to reports in a number of international and local media, the West believes that the war will finally end this year. Against this background, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also announced the transition of the army to a more intensive and operational counteroffensive.

Yuriy Kamelchuk, a Ukrainian lawmaker and member of the ruling Servant of the People party, told Report's Eastern European Bureau that his country's armed forces have indeed made progress lately:

"The counterattack continues though probably not at the pace we would like it to be. I am sure that the result will depend on three factors - the availability of weapons, personnel and morale. We will not sit back and wait for advice on which direction to move and how to liberate our territories. We have every right to free ourselves from the Russian invaders on the territory of Ukraine, to liberate every region, every village. We cannot say whether the hostilities will end before the end of the year. Of course, we would like a quick end to hostilities. It would be much better to end the war in autumn than by the end of the year, because in this case we will save human lives, quickly return all prisoners of war, as well as people forcibly taken from Ukraine to Russia, including our children. In any case, we need a stable stock of weapons, the presence of combat equipment and, of course, positive momentum. And the morale of the servicemen is focused on the liberation of the occupied territories of Ukraine and the return of every Ukrainian home," he added.