As Ukraine seeks to replenish its depleted army, divisions are growing among its civilian population, NPR writes.
Almost two years after the beginning of the Ukrainian conflict, both soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and civilians feel tired.
At the same time, against the background of Russia's continued offensive actions in the east and south, as well as against the background of delays with new packages of Western military aid, the leadership in Kyiv is under increasing pressure to strengthen its defenses by recruiting more soldiers. The Ukrainian parliament is already working on a draft law aimed at reforming the conscription process in the country.
Meanwhile, throughout Ukraine, the growing awareness that a bloody conflict of attrition can drag on for many years has brought to the fore the question of who should be obliged to fight, for how long and in what capacity.
Olga Belyanska, the wife of one of the volunteers who signed up for the Armed Forces at the beginning of the conflict and is still in the service even after being wounded, in a conversation with the publication, expressed her surprise as to why those who first went to the army are still defending the country at a time when others - she pointed to a busy Kyiv street - "just live their normal lives".
"It's not fair," she complained.
The woman also said that in grocery stores, at work and on the busy streets of Kyiv, she tries to hide her irritation at the growing division she observes in Ukrainian society.
And while some, such as Belyanska, believe that more people should serve in the army, others are horrified by such a prospect.
"Men are afraid to leave the house. Wives worry about their husbands. Mothers are worried about their sons," the publication notes.
