Ukraine lost 20 million inhabitants since 1991

(Patria) - Makiv, a small town in western Ukraine, is struggling with a shortage of men. Many have either fled, are fighting, or have died fighting against the Russian invasion.

This is a common problem in many cities and villages in Ukraine, writes VOA.

The war has exacerbated the country's ongoing population decline. Those who remain fear for Ukraine's future as they struggle to rebuild their lives.

Monuments to fallen soldiers line Makiv's main square. Photos show their faces in happier times. Above them is a slogan that has become one of the defining mantras of this war: "Glory to the heroes".

Makiv is more than 600 kilometers from the front lines. Yet, few places so vividly illustrate the profound impact of this war. Here, men of military age exist only in photographs - or in the graves of the town cemetery. Everyone else is gone.

"Look, where are the people, people are hiding, they were scared," says driver Alex Khamovskyi.

Khamovskyi has lived in Germany for over 30 years. He returned to his hometown for the first time since the war began to renew his documents - he noticed that all his friends and relatives were gone.

"It's a tragedy," he says.

Khamovskyi points out that many of the town's soldiers are hiding in the countryside to avoid being sent to the front lines. On the streets of Makiv in early February, most of the people VOA met were women. Many said that life had become much harder with the disappearance of men.

"I am an old woman, I am over 70. Of course, this is a bigger problem for younger women - those who are left with children. If a man is at home, he is not only a protector but also a provider. He helps with everything, especially financially," says retired teacher Neoline Kovalenko.

Many villages and towns across western Ukraine are struggling with a shortage of men. But Makiv is also a reflection of a larger demographic crisis that had reshaped Ukraine before the war.

The government says the country's population has fallen from 52 million in 1991 to just 32 million in 2024.

"This fact scares me a lot. So many people have left with their families, and it has changed everything in the country. The country itself has changed a lot.

It's sad because so many people have left - there are no girls, no friends, almost my whole family has left. And it's just... sad," says 15-year-old Angelina Bondar.

One of her neighbors died in the war. Some are still fighting. Many of her friends left before they even came of age. She knows that one day it will be her generation's turn to rebuild Ukraine. She is just not sure she is ready to face that challenge.