Ukraine and the world mark the anniversary of the Russian invasion

The war in Ukraine has marked its one-year anniversary with no end in sight, and the defiant President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed that the nation will defeat the much larger Russian army.

World leaders also marked the anniversary of Europe’s biggest war since World War II by pledging new sanctions against Russia and countries supporting its war effort.

In a video released to the media titled “The Year of Invincibility,” a 45-year-old man sat at a table and recalled how he addressed the Ukrainians in a hasty statement a year ago, when Kiev and the world were appalled by Russia’s actions. war.

“A year ago this day, from the same place around 7 am, I addressed you with a brief statement, lasting only 67 seconds,” he said in a 15-minute speech, with solemn music playing in the background.

“We are strong. We are ready for anything. We will defeat everyone,” he said.

READ: Russia has targeted Ukrainian Protestants.

“This is how it all started on February 24, 2022. The longest day of our lives. The most difficult day in our recent history. We woke up early and haven’t slept since.”

However, Vladimir Putin kept silent about the anniversary. The Washington-based think tank for the study of war noted that the Kremlin most likely did not comment because Russia “has failed to achieve any of its stated goals and has not made significant territorial gains since July 2022.” In fact, since the beginning of the invasion, he has lost half of his achievements.

As fighting raged in Ukraine’s east and south, its allies around the world showed their support on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion.

Mariupol before and after (video before: Journey of the Mind on YouTube – Video after: @den_kazansky) pic.twitter.com/78BFO4p7I5

— Aram Shabanyan (@ShabanianAram) March 23, 2022

Paris lit up the Eiffel Tower with the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag, and people in Ukrainian flags, with their hands on their hearts, gathered for a picket in London with a banner: “If you stand for freedom, support Ukraine.”

“There will be life after this war, because Ukraine will win,” Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said in her speech.

The UN General Assembly on Thursday overwhelmingly adopted a resolution requiring Russia to withdraw its troops and cease hostilities.

There were 141 votes in favor and 32 abstentions. Russia was joined by six countries that voted against: Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua and Syria. Russia’s ally China abstained from the UN vote.

Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN Dmitry Polyansky called the action at the UN “useless”.

The Ukrainian military reported increased Russian activity in the east and south as the anniversary passed, with at least 25 towns and villages in three northern regions along the Russian border heavily bombed.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner group, said on Friday that a group of mercenaries had taken full control of the Ukrainian village of Berkhovka on the outskirts of Bakhmut.

“Berkhovka is completely under our control. Units of PMC Wagner fully control Berkhovka,” he wrote on the social network.

Berkhovka is about two miles northwest of the suburb of Bakhmut, a front-line town in eastern Donetsk Oblast where heavy fighting has taken place.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24 last year to seize Kyiv and overthrow the pro-European government, but those hopes were dashed by stiff defenses and miscalculations by the Russian military.

Ukrainian counter-offensives in late 2022 regained most of the lost territory. Now Russia controls about a fifth of Ukraine.

Some US and Western officials estimate Russia’s losses at nearly 200,000 killed and wounded. Ukraine estimates that the death toll of Russians exceeds 140,000.

Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of war crimes, but it denies hitting civilians.

Zelensky reflects on the loss of the nation

Millions of Ukrainians fled their country, tens of thousands of civilians were killed. The invasion sparked the largest refugee crisis in Europe since the outbreak of World War II. At one point, more than half of Ukraine’s 44 million citizens fled to neighboring countries.

For many, death is a silent telephone contact.

“Almost everyone has at least one phone contact who will never pick up the phone again,” Zelensky said.

“The one who does not answer the SMS “How are you?”. These two simple words took on a new meaning in the year of the war.”

Ukrainian forces averted a quick victory in early 2022, and what Moscow calls a “special military operation” has turned into a hard-fought trench war in the east and south.

With the leaders of both countries showing no signs of backing down, the prospects for a cessation of hostilities anytime soon look bleak.

US increases support to $32 billion

On Friday, the United States announced a $2 billion ($3 billion) long-term security package for Ukraine that would include additional munitions and various small, high-tech drones.

The Pentagon said the assistance will include weapons to counter Russian drone systems and several types of drones, including an upgraded Switchblade 600 Kamikaze drone, as well as electronic warfare detection equipment.

Since the Russian invasion, the US has provided more than $32 billion in security assistance to Ukraine. A very small amount of money in the overall US budget, but still weakening support for Ukraine.

Meanwhile, King Charles III of the United Kingdom praised the Ukrainians for “outstanding courage and resilience” in a message marking the first anniversary of the Russian invasion.

“The people of Ukraine have suffered unimaginably from the unprovoked full-scale attack on their people,” he said.

The king expressed the hope that the manifestation of solidarity “can bring not only practical help, but also strength from the realization that together we are one.”

When Poland delivered its first Leopard tanks to Ukraine, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki declared: “Poland and Europe are on your side. We will definitely not leave you, we will support Ukraine until the complete victory over Russia.”

Russian military bloggers commented on the Kremlin’s silence on Friday, such as former FSB officer Igor Girkin, who called Medvedev’s comments nonsense.

According to Newsweek, “a critic of Russian forces, Girkin said on his Telegram channel that he had long predicted a ‘protracted, exhausting war’.” He added that Russia would need “large-scale external support” to continue fighting.

Zelenskiy, who has been instrumental in raising financial and military aid from around the world to maintain Ukraine’s defense in the face of a much larger army, praised his people.

“We have become one big army,” he said.

“We have become a team where someone finds, someone packs, someone brings, but everyone contributes.”

He called 2022 the year of resilience, courage, pain and unity.

“His main conclusion is that we survived. We were not defeated. And we will do everything to win this year!”

– Telegraph services