These past two years, Putin has been trying his best to break Ukrainians’ spirit and test Western resolve. 

Led by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, I traveled to Ukraine to see for myself how Ukrainians are faring on the ground. 

We first stopped in Odesa— “the pearl of the Black sea”—where we met with Governor Oleh Kiper, Head of Odesa Oblast State Administration, and saw the city’s historic sites standing proudly. 

We also saw firsthand Russia’s efforts to destroy Odesa and other cultural treasures. 

Throughout Ukraine, Russia is targeting civilians without warning. Serhii Beresnev, resident of Kryvyi Rih, lost his home in a missile strike this January. “I was at my house when the shelling happened. […] I tried to hide in the restroom and one of the doors hurt my leg. I was injured. It’s a miracle that I am alive.” 

Fellow resident Natalia Motailo is resolved to rebuild her home. “I lived at this house almost all my life. We repaired it a bit with my husband right before the war. […] The only thing we want is peace, and the house we will rebuild, that’s for sure. This is my home, it was the home of my grandmother.” 

Traveling east, our delegation spoke with Governor Oleskandr Prokudin, Head of Kherson Oblast State Administration. In the face of a prolonged conflict, he remained optimistic: “Kherson is a strong region. Our people are unbreakable, so we will get through this.”

I was struck by Ukrainians’ resourcefulness in adapting to life along the front lines. In Kharkiv, I visited a school sheltered within a metro station—keeping children safe while they learned. Above is a drawing from one of the students. 

I was also moved by the grave human cost of this war. This memorial in Bucha honors over 500 civilians killed in the war’s early days… Ukrainians who can no longer speak for themselves continue to speak volumes. 

I’m impressed by the dedication of the UNHCR team and its local partners, who work each and every day to ensure refugees and internally displaced Ukrainians get the support that they need.  

This was a frequent refrain I heard on the ground. Ukrainians may be “tired” of the war—but they are certainly “not exhausted.”