Like bad a dream, Ukrainians wore long but unsmiling faces on the day, greeted with sighs and bad memories across the globe in commemorating Russian conflagration of their homeland.
This typified as Ukraine rolled out ceremonies to mark the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country on Friday, February 24, 2022.
The mood in Ukrainian capital Kyiv was somber and defiant.
Ukrainians wore long faces as they marked one year since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion that reduced the once pacesetting country to ruins and a ghost town.
A year on, thousands of soldiers and civilians have been killed in the conflict, while millions of Ukrainians have become refugees.
Ukraine’s gross domestic product shrank by as much as 35% in the last year, the World Bank estimates.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky handed over a flag to a serviceman during a ceremony titled, ‘February, Year, Invincibility’ on Sofiivska Square in Kyiv.
Solidarity across the globe
Ukrainians joined by other compatriots the world in solidarity with their kinsmen and women at home.
A minute’s silence was held across the UK at 11:00 GMT led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak outside Downing Street, alongside Ukrainian ambassador to the UK Vadym Prystaiko, his wife Inna Prystaiko and members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Ukrainian community groups gathered at Grey’s Monument in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
Ukrainian teenager, Alisa Bushuieva, who was forced to flee with her mother in February last year, played piano to the crowd following a minute’s silence at Peter’s Lane in Liverpool.
Children from St Mary’s Ukrainian School lit some of the 52 candles – one for each week of the war – during an ecumenical prayer service at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London.
Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski conducted the service, which included a speech delivered by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.
The cathedral was decorated by 461 paper angels, one for each child that has died in the past year according to the official statistics.
People took part in a national prayer for peace at St. Martin’s Cathedral, the Dom Church in Utrecht, Netherlands.
Ukrainian military recruits gathered for prayers, blessings and a one-minute silence alongside British and Canadian troops, during a sunrise commemorative service in Kent, south-east England.
Protesters held a rally, against Russia’s aggression on Ukraine, in a rainy Tokyo.
A candlelight vigil took place outside UN University in the city.
People gathered during a candlelight vigil to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine at Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia.
Ukrainians and their supporters in Sydney participated in the “365 Days Strong” rally and candlelight vigil at St Mary’s Cathedral Square.
The sails of the Sydney Opera House were illuminated with the colours of the Ukrainian flag later in the day.
Zelensky’s memorial war speech
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky marked the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion on Friday, February 24 with a somber message of defiance to his people, saying “we will defeat everyone.”
In a video released to the media and titled “the year of invincibility,” the 45-year-old sat at a desk and recalled how he addressed Ukrainians a year ago in a hurried statement, as Kyiv and the world reeled from Russia’s act of war.
“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.”
The West estimates casualties on both sides of the largest conflict in Europe since World War Two at more than 100,000 killed or wounded. Tens of thousands of civilians also died, while millions more have fled the threat of fighting.
“Almost everyone has at least one contact in their phone that will never pick up the phone again,” Zelensky said.
“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.”
Ukrainian forces prevented a swift victory early in 2022, and the conflict, which Moscow calls a “special military operation,” shows no signs of ending as prospects of an end to the fighting any time soon look bleak.
“We became one big army,” he said. “We have become a team where someone finds, someone packs, someone brings, but everyone contributes.”
He described 2022 as a year of resilience, courage, pain, and unity.
“Its main conclusion is that we have survived. We had not been defeated. And we will do everything to win this year!”
U.S. and Russian Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin traded barbs in speeches earlier this week, with Putin accusing the West of starting the war and announcing Russia’s withdrawal from its last nuclear arms control treaty with the U.S.
The one-year anniversary of the largest military conflict Europe has seen since World War II comes against the backdrop of increased geopolitical tensions.
Watch the video he shared to commemorate the war in his country crossing the one-year mark 🔽 pic.twitter.com/2ETrCLD046
— Bloomberg TV (@BloombergTV) February 24, 2023
(Inputs from BBC NEWS)
