Sunday, October 29, 2023

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy Vows Victory 1 Year After Russian Invasion

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On February 24th, 2021, Ukrainians around the country marked the somber anniversary of the Russian invasion. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended a ceremony in Kyiv’s St Sophia Square, where he bestowed medals on soldiers and the mother of one killed. He fought back tears at the national anthem. In his address, he said that Ukrainians have become one family, sheltering each other and standing strong against threats, shelling, cluster bombs, cruise missiles, kamikaze drones, blackouts and cold.

The toll of dead is growing inexorably as fighting rages in eastern Ukraine in particular. Oleksandr Hranyk, a school director in Kharkiv, summed up the last year in three words: Fear, love, hope. Tetiana Klimkova said her heart was “falling and hurting” but that this day has become a symbol of survival for Ukrainians. Sviatoslav Yurash, a Ukrainian member of parliament, said that his countrymen felt as defiant as they did a year ago and that they will certainly get an independent and democratic Ukraine.

Russia’s foreign ministry said the world should recognise “new territorial realities” in Ukraine to achieve peace. China called for a ceasefire on Friday, but Ukraine rejected it for fear it would allow Russia to regroup militarily after battlefield setbacks. Zelenskyy gave qualified support to China’s apparent new interest in playing a diplomatic role.

The US announced a new $2bn package of military aid for Ukraine, and a raft of additional sanctions and tariffs hitting Russia’s mining and metals industries, as well as companies from third countries accused of supplying Moscow with restricted goods. Other G7 countries unveiled similar measures. Poland said it had delivered four advanced Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine, making it the first country to hand the German-made armour to Ukraine.

As Ukrainians marked the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion, they looked back at a year that changed their lives and at the clouded future. They remain determined to fight for victory in 2023 and to gain an independent and democratic Ukraine. The US and other G7 countries have been working to further tighten sanctions against Russia, while China has called for a ceasefire. Poland has delivered four advanced Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine, making it the first country to hand the German-made armour to Ukraine. The world will be watching as Ukrainians continue their fight for freedom and justice.

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