Three years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the world is still debating how it started, who is to blame, and what the endgame should be. Conversations about this war have become deeply polarized, shaped by media narratives, political agendas, and personal beliefs. Some claim Ukraine is a democracy fighting for survival; others insist it’s a corrupt, CIA-controlled state that provoked the war.

For many, it’s difficult to discern fact from fiction when mainstream news and alternative media tell conflicting stories. But for me, this war isn’t just something I read about—it’s something I hear about directly from friends who are living it. And their realities are very different from the sweeping political narratives we see online.