The human toll of the war in Ukraine

Ukraine may be gaining on the battlefield in the war with Russia, but that doesn’t mean life is getting easier for Ukrainians living near the front lines. After a recent trip to southern and southeastern Ukraine, International Rescue Committee President and CEO David Miliband joined Ian Bremmer on GZERO World to talk about the humanitarian need he saw on the ground: villages emptied by war, families separated, children who haven’t attended school in person for years, and communities living under the constant threat of drones and bombardment.
The scars of the war, both visible and invisible, are apparent in the daily lives of Ukraine’s citizens. Humanitarian organizations like the IRC are providing mobile health care, mental health services, and support to displaced families in places where the state can’t reach. And despite the brutality of war and immense pressure on civilians, Miliband says the Ukrainians he met remain determined not to surrender. There is much more at stake in the war than territory. It’s a fight to sustain the social and cultural fabric of the Ukrainian people.

“If you can't sustain the people,” Miliband argues, “You can't sustain the nation.”