Russia’s invasion of Ukraine once triggered existential fear and outrage in the West. Now, for large parts of the Western public, it triggers boredom. Though Russia looks set to take control of the vital Donbas city of Severodonetsk, after weeks of concentrated artillery offensives, the rest of the front line has barely moved in a month.
The phase of heightened uncertainty, when the public hoped the Ukrainian army would smash the Russians, or trigger a palace coup by inflicting large numbers of casualties, is over. To understand why war fatigue is fatal, and to counter it effectively, we need to see this conflict at three levels.
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