**Four Years of War: Ukraine Stands Firm Against Russia's Invasion** It's been four years since Hennady Kolesnik, a 71-year-old retired welder from Kyiv, witnessed the start of Russia's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. Kolesnik, like millions of other Ukrainians, thought the war would be over in a matter of days. However, the reality is far from it. For Kolesnik, the past four years have been the worst and longest of his life. He has seen his nation torn apart, with tens of thousands of Russian troops occupying parts of Ukraine. The memory of power outages and disruptions of central heating caused by Russian drones and missiles still lingers in his mind. Despite the struggles, Kolesnik remains defiant, saying, "We're still standing, and that's the most important thing in a fight." Ukraine's resilience has been remarkable, given the odds. Despite a failed 2023 counteroffensive, the country has managed to repel Russian advances, with Moscow's troops making little progress in the past year. According to Ukrainian officials and Western analysts, Russia controls about 19 percent of Ukraine's territory, with its troops occupying less than 5,000 square kilometres in 2023. The frontlines have become a static, World War I-style stalemate, with Russia struggling to break through Ukrainian defenses. The recent disruption of Russian communication systems, courtesy of Elon Musk's SpaceX and Ukraine's counterattack, has further hindered Moscow's efforts. However, the war is far from over. The pressure on Ukrainian forces is mounting, with Russian drones reaching fortified towns in the southeastern Donetsk region. As Kolesnik's wife, Marina, 70, noted, "Nobody expected us to last this long, and we're still here." For the people of Ukraine, the war has become a way of life, with no end in sight. In a region where survival is a daily struggle, the Ukrainian spirit remains unbroken. As Kolesnik puts it, "But we're still here." And that's what matters most in a fight for a nation's very existence.