Bruised but determined, the Ukrainian people fight on

Thursday 30 October 2025, by Dominique

While diplomatic manoeuvres take centre stage, the Ukrainian people, in an increasingly difficult context, continue to resist, including in the occupied zones.

Trump’s incessant U-turns maintain a climate of uncertainty, seeking to push Ukraine and Russia to negotiate a ceasefire, to the detriment of genuine peace negotiations. Freezing the conflict on the current front lines would be to Ukraine’s disadvantage. It would be a major gain for Putin.

Faced with the Russians’ double game (talking of negotiations while stepping up military operations), the European Union is unable to find a common position of effective support for Ukraine. Its military aid remains below what is needed. It is struggling to assert itself in the negotiations and is reluctant to use the Russian assets frozen since the start of the large-scale invasion (nearly €200 billion).
The civilian population is paying a heavy price

The drone and missile attacks on the energy infrastructure are leading to the risk of a partial collapse of ‘normal life’, with no heating, electricity or water. This week, the Russians bombed homes and a nursery school in Kharkiv, with children inside. They are conducting a veritable hunt for civilians with FPV drones in the towns, notably Kherson. In violation of international law, the occupiers are transferring and placing thousands of Ukrainian children to ‘Russify’ them.

On a front line that is generally frozen, infiltration attempts by Russian troops are keeping up the pressure on the Ukrainian army: while their gains remain limited, this war of attrition is imposing an enormous human, material and economic cost on Ukraine.

By targeting refineries and ammunition depots inside Russia, the Ukrainian forces are dealing serious blows to the Russian economy. Rising prices and fuel shortages are beginning to take their toll on people’s daily lives and morale. These successful strikes are exacerbating the regime’s financial difficulties.
Fierce resistance

Encouraged by the success of the anti-corruption protests in July, the unions and citizens’ associations are fighting back. The unions are challenging draft laws that weaken workers’ rights and working conditions, notably Be Like We Are in the health sector. Bilkis, a feminist, inclusive and anti-capitalist association, provides basic necessities and medicines to women, displaced persons and vulnerable people.

Many others, such as Solidarity Collectives, the student union Priama Diia and the political organisation Sotsialnyi Rukh, combine active, concrete solidarity with the defence of everyone’s rights and the prospect of a Ukraine freed from the yoke of the oligarchs and the neo-liberal agenda.

In Crimea and the occupied areas, semi-clandestine movements are stepping up their activities against the occupiers, forced militarisation and the imposition of Russian nationality. Atesh (Ukrainian partisans, Tatars, Russian opponents) and Yellow Ribbon combined symbolic appearances with sabotage operations targeting enemy logistics (railway lines, ammunition depots).
On the front line, in the rear, in the occupied territories, despite the exhaustion and suffering of nearly four years of a murderous war, in the uncertainty of diplomatic negotiations, the Ukrainian people are resisting.

30 October 2025

Translated by International Viewpoint from l’Anticapitaliste.

Attached documentsbruised-but-determined-the-ukrainian-people-fight-on_a9241.pdf (PDF - 905.5 KiB)

Extraction PDF [->article9241]

Ukraine
Energy, Infrastructure, and Civilians Targeted: Ukrainian Trade Unions Call for Solidarity
Unwavering support for Ukraine
War of drones or war of nerves
Return from Ukraine
Message of Sotsialnyi Rukh (Social Movement) to Freedom Flotilla

Dominique is a member of the NPA active in Ukraine Solidarity.


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