Grit, humor, grief and gloom mix as Ukrainians face a dangerous new phase in the war

Paintbrush in hand, Anastasiya Sereda is working on a painting of a chubby-faced panda in the uniform of a Ukrainian soldier.

Propped on her easel is the reason why – a photo of her boyfriend Bohdan, a burly serviceman with a gentle smile.

“He looks like a panda,” Sereda said in explanation, alternately laughing and choking with tears as she talked about her partner, who was killed almost a year ago on the front line in eastern Ukraine. Taking part in an art class for women bereaved by war, she’s trying to capture her boyfriend’s humor and heroism, and channel her roiling emotions onto canvas.

Many other Ukrainians also are wrestling with a potent mix of emotions – including grief, anger, humor, defiance and fear – as they face a new phase in the war with growing concern about international support for their cause.

Most remain firm in their resolve to drive out the Russian invaders and decide their country’s future course. Many also worry that international attention is distracted by the Israel-Hamas war and other concerns, and that allies aren’t delivering much-needed weapons and ammunition. Foreign visitors are often told to go home with a message: Send air defenses, especially U.S.-made Patriot missiles, to close Ukraine’s skies to the enemy.

There are many grounds for worry. Russia has thrown waves of soldiers and deadly glide bombs at Ukrainian lines, forcing Kyiv’s troops to retreat from several villages along the 600-mile (1,000-kilometer) frontline in the country’s east and south. Military analysts say Russia is pushing to take as much territory as it ca n before fresh supplies of arms reach Ukraine from a $61 billion U.S. aid package approved in April.

Away from the front, air-raid sirens are a routine