NewsNation National Correspondent Robert Sherman has found himself on the frontlines of some of the world’s biggest stories: from Ukraine to Israel and across the United States. He shares what he’s seeing on the ground. Subscribe to his newsletter: Frontlines with Robert Sherman here. 

It’s hard to believe Saturday marks two years of fighting in Ukraine. 

I can distinctly recall the weeks of buildup as the world debated whether Russian President Vladimir Putin would go in, if it was just posturing or a legitimate threat.

None of those conversations really mattered in the end. Russian forces invaded Feb. 24, 2022. A day later, I found myself on a plane to Europe with NewsNation senior producer Bartley Price. 

WATCH: Russia and Ukraine in war of attrition two years later

Admittedly, we were wondering if we would make it in time. So much of the punditry had sounded the same: “If Russia invades, Kyiv will fall in 72 hours. At best a week.”

Well, here we are. Two whole years later. With battle lines drawn and troops entrenched, a war of attrition has taken hold. Inches gained become rarer and more significant by the day.

This week, Russian forces notched a victory by taking the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka — situated east of the Dnipro River. Hard fought and costly, the battle was a microcosm of the war.

A declassified U.S. intelligence report estimates Russian forces have sustained more than 300,000 casualties since launching their invasion. While Ukraine keeps their casualty numbers secret, their losses are believed to be high as well. 

Another fact to keep in mind: Russia boasts a population of 144 million. Compare that to Ukraine’s population of 37 million.

That number for Ukraine has shrunk as millions fled the country in the first few weeks of the war. I’ll never be able to forget watching people pushing and shoving at the port of entry to try and flee to Poland, the line of cars extending dozens of miles to escape, or the mad dash in Lviv as civilians tried to catch a train out. 

WATCH: Thousands attempt to flee Ukraine (2022)

For many, the belief was sincere: If we don’t leave now, we will die. 

Thinking back on the conversations we had with some Ukrainians who made it through Russian invasions of their towns, the fear is understandable. 

To this day, many have not returned to their homes. The U.N. estimates 3.7 million are displaced internally, while 5.9 million are displaced outside of Ukraine. For context, that makes the war in Ukraine the single largest movement of people in Europe since World War II. 

Compared to two years ago, the ubiquitous pandemonium has certainly dropped. Those first few weeks, air raid sirens would blare all over the country as Russian forces tried to knock out airports and military infrastructure. We were caught in a few of them. Ivano-Frankivsk is a long way from the Donbas, yet the threat of bombings was very real.

WATCH: Fleeing air raids in Ukraine (2022)

That’s not to say the threat is gone, but the battle lines are more firm. Ukraine has been able to reclaim a little over half of the land Russia captured at the beginning of the war.

One of those cities is Kherson. We met a woman named Olena who fled before Russian forces occupied her home city. Ukraine has since liberated it.

Kherson is not far from the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014. But even before then, Russians would frequent her town — sometimes on vacation. What confounded her the most is that one day, a people she always viewed as her neighbors all of the sudden became her sworn enemy. Her sister even lived in Russia as of our discussion in 2022. 

WATCH: Ukrainian mother and child flee Russian attack on Kherson (2022)

 “I could never believe that she would be my enemy, so this is just a horrible dream for us,” Olena said. “It’s not people from another world. It’s people who are similar to us, and we are similar to them. I can’t put it into words.”

It’s a sentiment many Ukrainians, especially those living along the Black Sea, struggle to grapple with. Imagine growing up in a state like Michigan, Minnesota, Washington or Maine and waking up one day to find out the Canadians you’ve come to know are now your enemy. That’s the confusing reality that has set in. 

The United States has provided Ukraine with around $75 billion in military, financial and humanitarian aid since Russia’s invasion. Just today, a new round of Russian sanctions have been announced.

Since February 2022, one of the biggest, most notable differences is American sentiment toward the war. Some believe aiding Ukraine is none of America’s business and a poor use of taxpayer dollars. 

WATCH: Ukrainians volunteer to fight (2022)

Still, a recent poll finds 74% of Americans view the war in Ukraine as important to U.S. national interests – with 43% describing it as very important. It’s sure to be an important topic in the lead-up to the November election.

In the meantime, the war is set to continue with no end in sight. Where does it go from here? Only time will tell.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of NewsNation.