Inna Sovsun says the toll taken by nightly air raids is ‘exhausting’ (Image: GETTY/CNN)
Three years on from ’s invasion, the relentless grind of life in a warzone is taking its toll on physically and emotionally, admits Inna Sovsun.
But despite the fatigue that is an inevitable by-product of conflict, the former Ukrainian government minister and current member of its Rada, or Parliament, says she and fellow Ukrainians will never give up fighting, believing the alternative – brutal subjugation by – to be infinitely worse.
The fog of war makes it notoriously difficult to provide precise figures, but Russian forces are believed to have suffered over 100,000 fatalities, with total casualties – including wounded – estimated at between 462,000 and 728,000.
Ukrainian military losses are reported at around 45,100 killed, with 390,000 wounded. Both sides have lost vast quantities of equipment.
US President has green-lit direct peace negotiations between the US and Russian officials. The parties met in Saudi Arabia last week, with neither Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelelnsky nor Western allies having been invited.
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Rescue workers evacuate two dogs from the site of a Russian ballistic missile attack (Image: GETTY)
Ms Sovsun, whose partner is on the frontline, says the dramatic developments have left her and many others deeply alarmed, and she fears betrayal after many months on the battlefield.
Looking back on the last 36 months, she told Express.co.uk: “I think the first thing, to be completely honest, is that we are all extremely tired.
“I am extremely tired, I’m exhausted from all of that, and it’s very difficult to live in this and to continue fighting when everybody’s so tired, so exhausted.
“We all ignore the air raids at night right now because it’s just every night, literally every night in Kyiv.
The aftermath of an airstrike on Kyiv which killed four (Image: Getty)
“So you just have to sleep through that because otherwise you would die from exhaustion.
“Sometimes you wake up from the ballistic missile explosions in your city. And every time I wake up from that, my heart starts pumping, like the first night it happened three years ago.”
Ms Sovsun continued: “It’s very difficult to live under those conditions. You can’t plan ahead.
“You can’t think about a month in advance. I recently got invited to an event in December this year, and I started laughing about that, because I don’t know if I’m going to survive until then.
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Airstrikes and drone attacks have become a daily fact of life in Ukraine (Image: Getty)
“I can’t plan for so far ahead because it’s impossible under our conditions. It’s very difficult to live like that, truth be told, especially given that my partner is in the military, and I worry about him all the time.
“But I also think that the worst case scenario is going to be if we just give up, because then it means that this war will continue or in another format, and then my son will have to live through that when he’s grown up. And I don’t want him to live for that.”
Ms Sovsun’s son, Martyn, now aged 12, has in the past candidly asked her if they were going to die during one particularly heavy air raid, she revealed last year.
She added: “He’s already living in the shadow of war. So all he remembers is living in the country at war, which is terrifying to think about.
“And it’s so scary, and the very fact that he started thinking about it as a normal way of living, which is, of course, very painful for me as a mother to think about.
“So I want him not to live in the war all his life. I don’t want any kids to leave at war. It’s terrifying. It’s scary.
“And I just want everybody to think about that and to do everything in our power to stop this, this nightmare, as soon as possible.
“But we have to admit that the way to stop this is not to give in to Putin, but actually to win against him one way or another.
In recent days, Mr Trump has stepped up his pressure on as he pushes for a peace deal with , labelling President a “dictator” for suspending elections during the ongoing conflict and suggesting that bears responsibility for the war.
Mr Trump has also demanded the return of US aid provided to , expressing dissatisfaction with the current administration’s handling of the situation.
In response, President Zelensky has expressed disappointment over ‘s exclusion from US- peace talks and emphasised the need for a durable peace supported by Western allies.
He has also indicated a willingness to step down if it would lead to peace or secure NATO membership for . European leaders, including UK Prime Minister Sir and French President Emmanuel Macron, have defended Mr Zelensky’s leadership and criticised Mr Trump’s approach, reaffirming their commitment to supporting ‘s sovereignty and security.