The 2025 
War Realities

9-12-25, Olena Zheldak

     On February 24, 2022, the world froze, watching the shelling of sleeping cities, the shooting of civilians, and the destruction of both military and peaceful objects in Ukraine. Not that the world ever stopped with wars and military conflicts in human history, but witnessing it in the center of Europe was a shock for many. Amidst disputes on AI evolution and plans on colonizing Mars, the good old-fashioned tank as a means of proving one’s point did look obsolete. In 2025, the war still goes on, but it has mostly reduced to emotionless statistics.

     The Institute for the Study of War describes Russia’s attack on Ukraine on the night of July 3 to 4 as “the largest combined drone and missile strike against Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.” However, the words ‘the largest,’ ‘the deadliest,’ or ‘the most terrifying seem to gain a new depth of horror with every strike. On the night of August 28, Ukraine was attacked by 600 drones and 31 missiles, killing 22 residents of just one building in Kyiv, including four children. In less than two weeks, on the night of September 7, the largest attack comprised of 810 drones again received new visual imagery, with ruined civilian buildings and lives taken. 

     In between the shelling, people in Kyiv and the Kyiv region try to go on with their routine. The new school year has begun. Children return to their studies. Parents resume their worries not only about properly equipped shelters at school, but also about academic performance, extra-curricular activities, and other education-related issues. When the all-clear signal sounds, people spending yet another night at one of Kyiv’s metro stations pack up their sleeping bags and go to work. The war goes on. The death toll rises. Yet, it is impossible to put life on hold if a suicidal drone or missile does not ruthlessly take this life away – something that can happen literally to anyone in Ukraine.          

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Sources:
 

     Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 4, 2025 | Institute for the Study of War

     The President Paid Tribute to the Victims of the Russian Strike in Kyiv on the Night of August 28

     Ворожа атака на Київ у ніч проти 7 вересня (інформація оновлюється) - Портал Києва