Ukraine’s Zelenskyy vows push for victory over Russia on war anniversary

Kyiv (Ukraine): Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledged to push for victory in 2023 as he and fellow Ukrainians on Friday marked the sombre anniversary of the Russian invasion that he called “the longest day of our lives.” A defiant Zelenskyy on Friday used the February 24 anniversary to congratulate Ukrainians on their resilience in the face of Europe’s biggest and deadliest war since World War II. He said they had proved themselves to be invincible in what he called “a year of pain, sorrow, faith and unity.” To commemorate the day, Ukrainians on Friday attended memorials, held vigils and other remembrances for their tens of thousands of dead — a death toll growing all the time as fighting rages in eastern Ukraine in particular. Although Friday marked the anniversary of the full-scale invasion, combat between Russian-backed forces and Ukrainian troops has raged in the country’s east since 2014. New video from there shot with a drone showed how the town of Marinka has been razed, along with others. “We survived the first day of the full-scale war. We didn’t know what tomorrow would bring, but we clearly understood that for each tomorrow, you need to fight. And we fought,” Zelenskyy said in an early morning video address to the nation. It was “the longest day of our lives. The hardest day of our modern history. We woke up early and haven’t fallen asleep since,” he said. Global leaders mark war anniversary World leaders came together to mark the first anniversary of Russia’s brutal war on Ukraine, the large majority pledging firm support to Kyiv despite Moscow’s defiance. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said, “Ukrainians will no doubt prevail in their battle against Russia a year on from the invasion on February 24, 2022. Freedom is not for free. We must fight for it every day,” he added. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen reiterated that it was a collective “Russian failure” and that Russian President Vladimir Putin had “failed to achieve a single goal”. “One year on from the start of his brutal war, Putin has failed to achieve a single one of his strategic goals… Instead of wiping Ukraine from the map, he is confronted with a nation more vigorous than ever,” she said. Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the Group of Seven wealthy nations at a virtual meeting later on Friday would also call on countries to not send military aid to Russia. He further hinted that the talks would see the G7 discuss new sanctions on Moscow. Sweeping sanctions against Russia  One of Ukraine’s staunchest allies—the United States announced sweeping sanctions aimed at increasing economic pain for Russia. The new sanctions, which target sectors including banks, mining, and the defence industry, will hit “over 200 individuals and entities, including both Russian and third-country actors across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East that are supporting Russia’s war effort,” the White House said on Friday. In the United Kingdom, King Charles III condemned Russia’s “unprovoked full-scale attack” on Ukraine. “It has now been a year that the people of Ukraine have suffered unimaginably from an unprovoked full-scale attack on their nation. The world has watched in horror at all the unnecessary suffering. Together, we stand united,” he said. Marking the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United Kingdom on Friday issued more sanctions against Russia, including export bans on every item it has used on the battlefield and import bans of iron and steel goods. Britain has also frozen assets and targeted a wave of Russian officials and companies in the last year in an effort to cripple Moscow’s economy and curb its ability to wage war on its neighbour. In a statement on Friday, the British government said it would target another 92 individuals and entities, including allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin such as the boss of Nord Stream 2, Matthias Warnig. French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated France’s support for Ukraine, barely a couple of weeks after bestowing France’s highest civilian award—the Legion of Honour on Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “People of Ukraine, France stands by your side. To solidarity. To victory. To peace,” Macron tweeted. In another show of solidarity, Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki travelled to Kyiv “to give a clear and measurable signal of further support in defence of Ukraine against Russia,” a Polish government spokesman said. Neighbouring Poland hosts more than 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees out of the eight million who fled after the invasion, by far the largest amount among European countries. Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the “free world is indebted” to Ukrainians fighting to defend European values. “Ukraine is not and will not be alone, because it is also defending the values of freedom and democracy on which the European identity was born. The free world is indebted to Ukrainian women and men,” the Italian PM said. In Russia, former president Dmitry Medvedev pledged to achieve success in what Moscow has called its Ukraine “special military operation”, saying Russia was ready to fight all the way to the Polish border if necessary. “Victory will be achieved,” he said. “This is why it is so important to reach all the goals of the special military operation. To push back the borders of the threats against our country as far as possible, even if this is to the borders of Poland.” China, which has so far not criticised Russia for the unprovoked aggression, released a 12-point paper calling for a “political settlement” of the crisis following accusations from the West that China is considering arming Russia, a claim Beijing has dismissed as totally inaccurate. But peace is nowhere in sight and remains an elusive dream for most Ukrainians. China called for a cease-fire — an idea previously rejected by Ukraine for fear it would allow Russia to regroup militarily after bruising battlefield setbacks. The 12-point paper issued Friday by China’s Foreign Ministry also urged the end of Western sanctions that are squeezing Russia’s economy. In a fresh effort to win the war, Ukraine is preparing another military push to roll back Russian forces — with ammunition and weaponry that has been pouring in from the West. “Ukraine is entering a new period, with a new task — to win,” Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov wrote on Facebook. “It will not be easy. But we will manage," he said. “There is rage and a desire to avenge the fallen.” In Kyiv and surrounding regions, schools moved classes online, and office employees were asked to work from home. And even as they rode Kyiv’s subway to work, bought coffee and got busy, Ukrainians were unavoidably haunted by thoughts of loss and memories of a year ago when missiles struck, Russia invaded Ukraine’s borders and a refugee exodus began. Back then, there were fears the country might fall within days or weeks. One year on, the ongoing war in Ukraine remains a grim reality. 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