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As Ukraine marks its Independence Day, families of soldiers gather in Kyiv's Maidan Square with a poignant message for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Amidst flags and vigils, they plead for the return of their loved ones from the frontlines of a war now entering its fourth year.
While Zelenskyy rallies the nation, highlighting Ukraine's military strength and thanking international allies, a growing divide emerges over the question of territorial compromise for peace.
The prolonged conflict has taken a heavy toll, with many Ukrainians grappling with exhaustion, loss, and an uncertain future.
As the path to victory becomes increasingly unclear, the human cost of the war continues to mount, leaving families torn between patriotic resolve and the desperate desire for their soldiers to return home.

Al Jazeera's Zein Basravi reports from Kyiv, Ukraine.

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Transcript
00:00An Independence Day message from Ukrainians for Volodymyr Zelensky.
00:05Our sons, husbands and fathers have fought Russia long enough.
00:10Mr. President, they say we are begging you, bring our people home.
00:16I'm waiting for my beloved man who's been missing for a year and two months in the Donetsk region.
00:21I just live in hope that he will return home and that's it.
00:25I told him I will wait for him, whatever it takes.
00:27Let them take the territory, just return the men home.
00:33In a speech to rally the country and remind the world of what it has endured,
00:38Zelensky said Ukraine now has the strongest army in Europe.
00:42And no matter what happens next, it has already shown Russia is not invincible.
00:50Every day we're returning more and more of this war to where it came from,
00:54into Russian skies and Russian land.
00:56And with every step of this war there, with pressure on Russia, with their real losses,
01:00we know that peace for Ukraine is getting closer.
01:05The President also thanked the Ukrainian people and international partners.
01:11In recent days, allies have pledged billions more dollars in military support.
01:16Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. Special Envoy Keith Kellogg
01:20attending the official ceremonies in Kyiv.
01:26But as the war drags into its fourth year and the front lines shift slowly in Russia's favor,
01:32a different battle is being fought at home.
01:34One against exhaustion, loss and longing.
01:38A war that has been measured in days, in how much ground has been gained or lost.
01:44On this Independence Day, Ukrainian families are measuring in how many people went to fight
01:49and never came home.
01:53Ukrainians want the war to end.
01:55But the question of compromising territory for peace divides opinions here.
01:59If Donetsk is already occupied, so be it.
02:04But let Sumi and Kurson remain ours.
02:06Let them give no more.
02:08Let them not advance any further.
02:09We are the families.
02:10We are waiting.
02:11And look at how many of us there are.
02:13We want peace.
02:14So that children can see their fathers alive, not just in photos.
02:18And what then did our husbands die for, or go missing for, so that we would give up territories?
02:26The longer the war continues, the bigger the number of killed, captured or missing.
02:32The blurrier the path to victory.
02:35And with each passing day, fewer loved ones may be left to celebrate when it finally ends.
02:42Zain Basravi, Al Jazeera, Kyiv.
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