Four Years of Russia’s War Against Ukraine
The Human Face of Europe’s Front.
At the Remember Together event in Maastricht (February 24, 2026), held to mark four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, I met five Ukrainian soldiers who have been fighting at the front. Speaking with them was not dramatic in the way one might expect. It was something else entirely: quiet, sober, and deeply humbling.
One of them, a young woman who spoke Dutch, shared her story. She was born in Ukraine but grew up in the Netherlands. She studied here, built a life here, and speaks with the calm clarity of someone shaped by both worlds. Yet when Russia invaded, she told me, something fundamental shifted. Her sense of justice was so deeply violated that she felt she had no choice. She started to work for the foundation ‘Eyes on Ukraine’ and supports the Ukranian soldiers.
She explained her decision without anger, without theatrical heroism. If you are attacked in your fundamental freedom, you do not really have a choice. You must defend yourself. It was not ideology. It was logic. Almost matter-of-fact.
What struck me most in my conversations with her and the others was their balance. These are people who have lived through trench warfare, who have lost friends, who have seen things most Europeans only know from history books. And yet they spoke with empathy, even about those in Europe who prefer not to see the danger. There was no bitterness. Only concern.
Again and again, they returned to one message: this is not only Ukraine’s front. It is Europe’s front. They worry that many Europeans still believe the war is distant, contained, someone else’s tragedy. They spoke about the fragility of support, about the limits of manpower, about the urgent need for weapons. But also about morale. Soldiers must feel they are not alone.
At the same time, they were clear about something else. You do not want this to happen to you. Their fight is not a call for others to suffer, but a warning. If aggression is not stopped, it spreads.
Standing there in Maastricht, far from the mud and noise of the trenches, I felt a deep sense of humility. These men and women have given so much, and still they speak rationally, with restraint, and with respect for the very societies that hesitate to fully grasp what is at stake. After everything they have endured, they have not lost their humanity.
Perhaps that is their most powerful message. Not only that freedom must be defended, but that even in the darkest circumstances, dignity and empathy can survive. And that, too, is something Europe should not take for granted.
Щиро дякуємо вам за вашу мужність, силу і людяність. Дякуємо, що ви захищаєте свободу всієї Європи. Ми з вами.
We sincerely thank you for your courage, strength and humanity. Thank you for defending the freedom of all Europe. We stand with you.
The Remember Together event was organised by Ukrainian House Maastricht, a local organisation supporting the Ukrainian community.
You can support the soldiers at the front via ‘Eyes on Ukraine’ by - Click Here
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