As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine drags on, a troubling shift in perception has taken hold. What was once an acute global crisis that drew widespread attention and outrage is now at risk of becoming just another routine news item. This normalization of the war, especially from the perspective of those of us in the West who support Ukraine, poses a serious threat to both the Ukrainian cause and our own moral responsibilities.
The Russian government has long understood the power of desensitization. By normalizing and routinizing the war, they aim to dull the collective outrage that initially greeted their invasion. The more intense the combat, the less attention it seems to garner from the global audience. This is not an accident but a calculated strategy. The Kremlin appears to believe that time, coupled with a steady stream of grim headlines, will heal all wounds—both in Russia and abroad.
For many, the war has become a numbers game. Early in the conflict, each death, each story of a life cut short, was a tragedy that resonated deeply. Media outlets, including those in the West, humanized the conflict by telling the stories of ordinary Ukrainians whose lives were upended. But as the death toll soared into the tens of thousands, these stories have faded into the background, replaced by cold statistics that are harder for the human mind to grasp.
This shift in perception is not just a failure of the media or public interest—it reflects a cognitive bias we all share. The difference between a single death and ten fatalities feels more significant than that between 1,000 and 100,000. As a result, the human cost of the war is increasingly abstract, making it easier for outsiders to disengage emotionally.
The routinization of the conflict also affects how we perceive and respond to the ongoing atrocities. Early strikes on Russian territory, for instance, were shocking and had a profound psychological impact. Today, the shelling of border regions and the destruction of oil refineries are treated as routine occurrences, barely registering as noteworthy developments. The war is increasingly framed in terms of territory gained or lost, rather than lives destroyed or displaced.
This normalization is dangerous for several reasons. First, it risks undermining international support for Ukraine at a time when it is most needed. The Ukrainian military is engaged in a grueling struggle, and the summer of 2024 has been particularly brutal for both sides. Yet, as the conflict becomes routine, there is a real danger that the West’s resolve to support Ukraine could weaken. This would be catastrophic, not just for Ukraine, but for the principles of sovereignty and international law that underpin global security.
Second, routinization plays into the hands of the Russian government. By making the war seem endless and inevitable, Moscow hopes to sap the will of those who would otherwise oppose it. The more the conflict is viewed as a fait accompli, the more likely it is that calls for negotiation—often at the expense of Ukrainian sovereignty—will gain traction. Yet, as the situation on the ground shows, neither side is anywhere close to a tenable bargaining position. The war is escalating, not winding down, and the idea that it could end soon without significant external pressure is increasingly unrealistic.
Finally, the normalization of the war distracts from the long-term consequences that both Russia and Ukraine will face. The human and economic toll of the conflict is immense, and it will not simply disappear when the fighting stops. Millions of Russians and Ukrainians have been pulled out of the real economy and into the war effort, either on the front lines or in industries that support the conflict. The post-war landscape will be one of trauma, economic dislocation, and profound uncertainty. These issues will require sustained attention and support from the international community, but that support will be harder to marshal if the war is seen as just another distant conflict.
It is our responsibility to resist the routinization of the Russian-Ukrainian war. We must continue to support Ukraine, both morally and materially, recognizing that this conflict is not just about territory but about the future of a sovereign nation and the principles that bind the international community. We cannot afford to let this war become a background hum in our daily lives, an inevitable and unchangeable fact. The stakes are too high, and the cost of disengagement is too great.
The war may seem endless, but that does not mean our attention should wane. If anything, the ongoing escalation and the rising death toll demand renewed focus and commitment. We must challenge the narrative that this war is routine and remind ourselves, and our leaders, that the fight for Ukraine is far from over—and it is far from routine.
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