5:59 v originále: Myroslava Gongadze on war and Ukrainian resilience

The Ukrainian army continues its counteroffensive against Russian invaders, according to Kyiv, with everything proceeding according to plan. Ukrainian officials, however, are tempering Western expectations of a rapid counterattack that would dramatically change the balance of power on the front lines. How is president Zelensky and his cabinet facing the ongoing pressure? And how is the Ukrainian society as a whole coping?

„Last time I talked to a deputy minister of defense of Ukraine she reported some gains in terms of territories of Ukraine,“ Ukrainian journalist Myroslava Gongadze explains.

You can listen to a special episode of the podcast 5:59 in the audio player:

The main fight is in the south and east of the country. On Friday, Ukraine's armed forces confirmed that they have halted a Russian offensive towards the cities of Kupiansk and Lyman in the east of the country, and are advancing in the south.

The offensive of Ukrainian armed forces is the most ambitious counterattack against the Russian army since it launched its attack on Ukraine in February 2022. Ukraine, Kyiv officials point out, is still in the early stages of its efforts.

„There are lots of expectations from the West (..) as well as from Ukrainians and from the Ukrainian government, which is putting additional pressure on the military,“ describes Myroslava Gongadze, who serves as Eastern Europe chief of Voice of America (VOA) and was attending a Czech Radio's conference on Ukraine on Thursday.

Despite ongoing conflict, Ukrainian society displays remarkable resilience, according to Myroslava Gongadze. Life in Ukrainian cities has not stopped - the courts are working, the banks are open, private businesses are operating. And the people themselves go out for dinner or good coffee. The „normality“ is disrupted by air-raid alerts, but once the sirens have died down, Ukrainians quickly return to the streets.

What makes Ukrainians so resilient in the face of war? The journalist says the 2014 revolution that toppled the government of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych was crucial. Ordinary people, she says, realised then that they had power in their hands - and began to believe in themselves.

Today, Ukraine's empowered civil society is making a significant contribution to the resistance to the Russian invasion. People are also sending financial donations to the army or setting up companies focused on defence projects, such as drone production.

„It is interesting how pluralistic and independent Ukrainian society is. Everyone makes decisions for themselves at various levels,“ Gongadze notes, adding that this is a key element of the resilience of Ukrainian society. „People don't wait for someone to tell them what to do. In short, when they see a problem, they solve it. And that's how it works at every level,“ Myroslava Gongadze adds.

What lies ahead for Ukrainian society? And how difficult is it for journalists to provide fair and accurate information amidst ongoing conflict? Listen to the whole interview via the audio player at the top of the article.