Ukrainian soldiers in Donbass, Eastern Ukraine (Photo: AFP).
Russia's military campaign in Ukraine has captured the world's attention since February 2022. However, things took a turn for the worse on October 7 when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel.
World public opinion is focused on the conflict that continues to escalate every day, with thousands of people killed after just over a month of fighting.
“We had enough attention from the West to be able to defeat Russia and suddenly the Israel-Hamas conflict appeared. We needed more supplies, we needed more weapons,” a soldier nicknamed Hound told the US newspaper Daily Beast.
Ukrainian soldiers told the Daily Beast that the US shift of focus elsewhere could derail Kiev’s fight against Russia and lead to Moscow gaining the advantage.
According to the serviceman nicknamed Spenser, although Ukraine will still receive help from its partners, because of the conflict in the Middle East, the scale of aid will likely be much smaller, and fighting may reach Lviv, in western Ukraine.
“Without the support of the US and other countries, we would be forced to retreat on the front lines,” he added.
Hound has served in the Ukrainian army since the beginning of the conflict, and he has witnessed how the conflict has changed.
"This situation makes the Ukrainian army worried because there may be a shortage of supplies. We are still dependent on the West, we cannot produce enough weapons systems and ammunition for a large-scale conflict like the current one," Hound admitted.
The rapidly escalating situation in the Middle East may force the US and Western countries to consider their priorities between two wars.
A soldier nicknamed Alex said that in the scenario of Russia launching a large-scale attack, the world's attention would likely turn to Ukraine.
Less support for Ukraine would be a major disadvantage for Kiev as Russia focuses on defense production.
Meanwhile, a soldier nicknamed Bartender told the Daily Beast that the upcoming US presidential election could affect the future of the war. He and many of his comrades are concerned that if former US President Donald Trump returns to the White House, aid to Ukraine could be reduced or even interrupted.
“If that happens, it would be terrible,” he admitted, saying that fatigue from the war in Ukraine appeared to have set in.
Previously, Mr. Trump repeatedly emphasized his view that he wanted to end the bloodshed between Russia and Ukraine and that he believed he could mediate to bring the war to an end.
Last week, Ukraine’s Chief of Staff Valery Zaluzhny admitted that the conflict with Russia was at a stalemate, an assessment that President Zelensky has rejected.
Mr. Zelensky still expressed his determination to fight to the end to regain Russian-controlled territory because, according to him, if the fighting stops, Moscow will have more time to re-equip its forces and Kiev will face even more difficulties.
Mr. Zelensky's determination comes in the context of counter-offensives in southern Ukraine that have yet to achieve a breakthrough, while Russia continues to increase attacks on the eastern front.
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