Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky marks war anniversary

A defiant Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky marked the somber anniversary of the Russian invasion by vowing to bring his country to victory as battles raged on in the east with no end in sight to the conflict.

At a solemn ceremony on St. Sophia Square in Kyiv, a visibly emotional Zelensky handed out medals to soldiers and families of those killed and held back tears when a military band played the national anthem under Ukraine’s yellow-and-blue national flag fluttering in the wind.

“We have become one family. There are no more strangers among us. Ukrainians today are all fellows. Ukrainians have sheltered Ukrainians, opened their homes and hearts to those who were forced to flee the war,” Zelensky said in a video address titled “the year of invincibility”.

The 45-year-old first-term president sat at a desk and recalled how he addressed Ukrainians a year ago in a brief statement, as Russian troops poured into the neighboring country, hoping to bring it to heel in three days’ time.

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

“…we are strong. We are ready for anything. We will defeat everyone. This is how it began 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.”

Zelensky described that day exactly one year ago as “the longest day of our lives. The hardest day of our modern history. We woke up early and haven’t fallen asleep since.”

“We fiercely fought for every day. And we endured the second day. And then — the third,” he said. “And we still know: every tomorrow is worth fighting for.”

Zelensky — a former comedian who has become a symbol of Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression — said his countrymen proved themselves to be invincible in “a year of pain, sorrow, faith, and unity.”

“We withstand all threats, shelling, cluster bombs, cruise missiles, kamikaze drones, blackouts, and cold. We are stronger than that,” he said. “We were not defeated. And we will do everything to gain victory this year!”

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As Ukrainians marked the somber milestone across the country, the carnage continued: Russian shelling killed another three civilians and wounded 19 others in the most recent 24-hour spell, Ukraine’s presidential office said.

It is estimated that Russia and Ukraine have suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties, including killed and wounded, over the past year.

“Almost everyone has at least one contact in their phone that will never pick up the phone again,” Zelensky said, reflecting on the heavy toll of the war. “He who will not respond to the SMS ‘How are you?’. These two simple words got a new meaning during the year of the war.”

Meanwhile, Russia’s defense ministry claimed that its forces continued to attack along the front line in the eastern Donetsk region, saying they had killed up to 240 Ukrainian soldiers over the past 24 hours.

Wagner Group mercenaries fighting on the Kremlin’s behalf also said Friday that they had captured the village of Berkhivka on the outskirts of the key city of Bakhmut — but Ukraine’s military said the armed forces fought back against the attacks near the village.

With leaders of both countries showing no signs of backing down, the prospects of an end to the fighting any time soon look bleak.

Zelensky, who has been instrumental in garnering financial and military aid from around the world to sustain Ukrainian defenses in the face of a much larger army, praised his people.

“We became one big army,” he said. “We have become a team where someone finds, someone packs, someone brings, but everyone contributes.”