- Ukrainian soldiers told the Kyiv Independent they are feeling burned out by the war.
- Many are concerned that they're running out of combat-capable fighters, the report said.
Ukrainian soldiers told the Kyiv Independent they're worried about running out of combat-capable people to continue fighting against Russia as the war rages on.
In a report published on Thursday, multiple soldiers fighting in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk Oblast said that it was becoming increasingly difficult to make a major breakthrough in the area.
While Russia continues to send ammunition and large numbers of troops to replenish the front lines, Ukrainian soldiers said they were worried about how long they will be able to keep up with the pace of the war.
"If combat-capable people like us run out, we could only be replaced by people who don't know anything," Roman, who has been serving since 2016, told the Kyiv Independent.
A driver, who is deployed with the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade near Bakhmut, also told the publication that he was worried about the possibility of the country running out of experienced and motivated soldiers.
"We're already running out of people," the driver, whose call sign is "Ninja," said. "The war will be very, very long."
Ukraine has not released official death toll figures, but US officials told The New York Times in August that the number likely stands at approximately 500,000.
Oleksandr Maroshnyk, a 31-year-old infantryman from Odesa who also served with the 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade, told the Kyiv Independent that of the original 110 people serving in his unit in June 2022, only four remain in action because everyone was either dead or injured.
"You can't imagine what we endured because, imagine, killing from morning to evening – it's terrible," he said. Maroshnyk was fighting mostly in Bakhmut.
Losing friends on the front lines and spending up to 13 hours a day in the trenches is also taking a heavy toll on the mental health of Ukrainian soldiers, who told the Kyiv Independent they're feeling increasingly burned out.
One infantryman from the 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade told the outlet that while he's not afraid of dying himself, he's shocked by the amount of friends he's already lost.
"I just want to go home, I'm so tired," the 41-year-old soldier, identified only as Anatoly, told the outlet. "When will this fucking war end? How many more friends killed do I need?"