Tuesday, Feb. 24, was like any other day on McGill’s campus. Students crammed in final revisions before tackling their midterms and counted down the days until the long-awaited reading week break. But for Ukrainians, this date was of supreme importance. It marked four years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine—four years of immense suffering and resilience.

As Europe’s deadliest war since World War II enters its fifth year, The Tribune spoke to McGill students and professors to gauge campus sentiment regarding the gruelling conflict.

The frenzied state of international politics and the relentless pace of the media cycle seem to have pushed the Russo-Ukrainian war to the margins of many students’ psyches.

In an interview with The Tribune, Lilian Yates, U0 Arts, reflected on how many people seem to have ‘forgotten’ about the conflict.

 “I really don’t feel like it’s that present in the daily culture [….] I do think it’s kind of been buried under other concepts.”

The unexpected length of this war of attrition has contributed to a growing mental detachment from Ukraine’s fight for survival. When Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion in February 2022, the Kremlin sought to take Kyiv in three days. Emilie Jodoin, U1 Engineering, commented on the prolonged duration of the war, which has now raged for years.

 “No one thought it would last this long [….] I thought it would be over in a year.” 

Contrary to popular expectations, as of Jan. 12, the Russo-Ukraine war has surpassed the duration of the Great Patriotic War, arguably the most fundamental historical narrative for Russia’s national mythology. However, Maria Popova, Professor of political science, explained in an interview with The Tribune that it was clear this was going to be a very long war from the beginning.

“It’s an existential war for Ukraine. It’s really a choice between losing your independent statehood or continuing to try to resist [.…] But I think it has also become clear […] that for Putin […] there is a very deep commitment to this war […] and he is not ready to withdraw as a result of losses,” she said.

Despite this, the enormous losses suffered by Russia and the dire state of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have pushed the countries to the negotiation table, with U.S. President Donald Trump pressuring Ukraine to make concessions. 

Juliet Johnson, Professor of political science, clarified to The Tribune that while Ukraine’s losses are visible, Russia is not invincible from the war’s destructive consequences. 

“The Ukrainian suffering is obvious, but Russia is also in a really devastating situation [….] They need this to end too, but my feeling is that the Russian regime thinks that with Trump in the White House, they can actually get what they want.”

However, Ukraine and Russia’s irreconcilable demands have made it challenging to negotiate a peace deal that satisfies both sides, especially since Russia’s overarching goal is regime change in Ukraine. This makes it hard to envision how the war can end. 

“Ukraine is obviously not willing to sacrifice a part of its own territory and basically abandon its people [….] On the Russian side, […] capitulating on their maximalist demands […] would be perceived as losing to the West,” Johnson explained. 

“Right now with an expansionist, authoritarian, Russian regime, and a Ukrainian regime that’s committed to Europe and democracy, [the positions are] irreconcilable,” Johnson said.

McGill students echoed this pessimistic outlook.

“There’s a feeling of impending doom [….] I don’t know that the tensions are going to go down, honestly, I’m not sure how they can,” Yates added.

Despite the bleak prospects of sustainable peace in Ukraine, Popova expressed that there are reasons to be hopeful.

“The reality is that Russia is running out of time, and Ukraine doesn’t show signs of catastrophic strain. Kind of on the contrary, it shows signs that Ukrainian society has sort of adjusted, accepted that this will continue and they just have to mobilize to outlast Russia,” Popova continued.

Against all odds, Ukraine has heroically defended itself from Russia’s full-scale imperial conquest for four years. Heading into its fifth year, it is critical not to forget that Ukraine needs our support, as much now as ever.