After A Month, How Long Will The Russo-Ukrainian War Still Rage?

JAKARTA- It has been a month since the Russo-Ukrainian war raged and there is no sign of a ceasefire, let alone an end. No one dared to predict when the war would end, even though Ukraine under the command of President Volodymyr Zelensky had been severely crushed by the incessant Russian attacks.

Every afternoon, Zelensky always appears broadcasting a video of his whereabouts. Encouraging the Ukrainian troops, as well as informing the world community that the independence of their country is trying to be seized by Russia.

"Russia is trying to take away the independence of Ukraine and all citizens of Europe, all citizens of the world!" Zelensky said in a video of his speech broadcast on Wednesday 23 March 2022.

Zelensky knew full well that he had to take advantage of the ever-dwindling opportunities to attract world attention to keep his focus on the Ukraine issue. The longer the war lasts, the world's attention will be diverted from the Russia-Ukraine conflict. This was very worried for Zelensky, who had been alone against Russia from the start.

Zelensky, who is the first Ukrainian President of Jewish blood, must be able to convince his people that they must be ready to face a prolonged conflict. It could be months, even years. Support for Zelensky must remain, even though the dark days are in sight.

Ukraine's ability to withstand Russian attacks for up to a month has actually shocked the world. When President Vladimir Putin began Russia's military operations in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, many predicted that the war would be over in just a matter of days. Russia is much stronger than its neighbors.

There were fears that Zelensky would be betrayed by high-ranking Ukrainians so that he would be easily overthrown, did not happen. Putin's plans to dethrone Zelensky as soon as possible failed. The former top Ukrainian comedian who is always ridiculed, not Putin's equal, is still holding out.

“I am very afraid that Putin will turn Ukraine into Syria with a protracted war. But this war has only lasted a month, so let's see," said a top Ukrainian official who was not named, as quoted by Haaretz.

"Russia will continue to attack as much as they can. Even if it had to exhaust all the resources in the field. Russia will act according to Soviet doctrine. At the very least, this attack will last another 10 to 15 days," the official added.

So far Russia has controlled important cities in the suburbs of Ukraine, such as Mariupol, Kharkiv, Lviv, and Chernihiv. The port city of Odessa in southern Ukraine is just waiting to be conquered. Russia's naval attack was hampered, because their navy had not succeeded in landing troops due to the storm that hit the Black Sea. The capital city of Kyiv has also not been successfully controlled.

Since Russia's 2014 invasion of the Crimean Peninsula, Donetsk and Luhansk, Ukraine's intelligence services have been combing through people deemed pro-Russian. Their presence in government is stripped away, so they no longer have strong access to divulge state secrets to the enemy. That's why President Zelensky is still standing.

The Russo-Ukrainian war has displaced at least 3.5 million people. Not only fleeing to neighboring countries, some Ukrainian refugees have even had to fly all the way to Brazil. In the city of Kherson on the banks of the Dniper River in southern Ukraine, it is reported that 300,000 people are suffering from hunger.

The number of troops killed on both sides is very difficult to confirm, as Russia and Ukraine claim success. Is it true that the Russo-Ukrainian war will end in 10-15 days at the earliest, as said Ukrainian officials interviewed by Haaretz?