The gigantic Mother Ukraine statue stands over Kyiv shrouded in a dense fog, an apt metaphor for the country’s uncertain future as Russia’s invasion grinds on with no end in sight.
The Soviet-era monument is one of Ukraine’s most memorable landmarks. It looks eastwards towards Moscow but lost its hammer-and-sickle emblem this year after officials voted to replace it with Ukraine’s trident coat of arms.
As the second anniversary of the war approaches, Kyiv is finding it far more difficult to impose its sovereignty on the battlefield, with hopes of imminent victory fading and the focus shifting to ensuring that no further land is lost.
From President Zelensky to his military commanders and the residents of bombed-out villages, no one knows how many more years
