Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia “must lose in Ukraine” as Moscow’s full-scale invasion entered its second year on February 24 amid heavy fighting in the east and south, while the West marked the anniversary by reaffirming its continued and resolute support for Kyiv.
“On February 24, millions of us made a choice: not a white flag, but a blue and yellow flag,” Zelenskiy told Ukrainians in a message on social media.
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“Not escape, but resistance. Resistance against the enemy. Resistance and struggle. It was a year of pain, regret, faith and unity. And this is the year of our indomitability,” Zelenskiy said in his message on February 24, adding, “We know that this will be the year of our victory.”
Russia had hoped that its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine that President Vladimir Putin called “a special military operation” would end in a matter of days as Moscow’s forces attempted to occupy Kyiv and overthrow Zelenskiy’s pro-Western government.
But the invading army met obdurate Ukrainian resistance and was forced to withdraw from the capital amid heavy human and equipment losses.
Zelenskiy separately told a conference in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius that only defeat in Ukraine would stave off Russian President Vladimir Putin’s expansionist policies toward Moscow’s former sphere of influence.
“Russia must lose in Ukraine,” Zelenskiy told a conference in Vilnius via videolink later on February 24.
“Russian revanchism must forever forget about Kyiv and Vilnius, about Chisinau and Warsaw, about our brothers in Latvia and Estonia, in Georgia, and every other country that is now threatened.”
Even as Zelenskiy spoke to the Vilnius conference, the specter of Russian expansionism was floated in Moscow by former President Dmitry Medvedev, who used the occasion to threaten with “pushing back” NATO member Poland’s border.
“It is so important to achieve all the goals of the special military operation. To push back the borders that threaten our country as far as possible, even if they are the borders of Poland,” said Medvedev, who now is deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council.
In a statement, NATO reaffirmed the 30-member alliance’s firm backing of Ukraine in the face of Russia’s aggression.
“We as Allies reaffirm our solidarity with the government and people of Ukraine,” NATO said.
“We reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.”
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki traveled to Kyiv on February 24, the government in Warsaw announced.
“A year after the beginning of the Russian warfare, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki went to Kyiv to give a clear and measurable signal of further support in defence of Ukraine against Russia,” Polish government spokesman Piotr Muller tweeted.
Poland has been one of Ukraine’s steadiest supporters since the start of Russia’s invasion.
In Berlin, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany will support Ukraine “as strongly and as long as necessary.”
“What impresses us all very much — that is the determination and courage of the Ukrainians, how they defend their freedom,” Scholz said in a video message. “Germany supports them in this — as strongly and as long as necessary,” he said.
President Emmanuel Macron also reaffirmed France’s support for Ukraine.
“People of Ukraine, France stands by your side. To solidarity. To victory. To peace”, Macron tweeted.
The anniversary came as full-scale war raged in the east, where Moscow’s forces have been throwing immense military and human resources against the Ukrainian forces’ fierce resistance.
Ukrainian forces repelled wave after wave of enemy attacks along the front line over the past 24 hours, the military said.
In Photos: When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, it triggered the biggest military conflict in Europe since World War II, upending the lives of millions and bringing widespread devastation that continues today.
The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine: A Year In Pictures
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, it triggered the biggest military conflict in Europe since World War II, upending the lives of millions and bringing widespread devastation that continues today.
“The Russian Federation has been continuing full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine for a year,” the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported early on February 24.
Russian forces pressed on with fresh offensive actions in and around Bakhmut, the focal point of the battle for the eastern Donetsk region, as well as Kupyansk, Lyman, Avdiyivka, and Shakhtarsk.
“Over the past day, our defenders repelled about 100 enemy attacks in the indicated directions,” the General Staff said.
Moscow’s forces currently control some 20 percent of Ukraine’s territory following a series of Ukrainian counteroffensives, but the war has settled into trench warfare as neither side has managed to make sizeable advances in the east, where fierce artillery exchanges have turned Bakhmut and the town of Vuhledar into ruins.
The British Defense Ministry said in its daily intelligence bulletin on February 24 that Russia’s campaign currently appears to seek to wear down the Ukrainian military, rather than grab more territory.
“The Russian leadership is likely pursuing a long-term operation where they bank that Russia’s advantages in population and resources will eventually exhaust Ukraine,” the British intelligence report said.
On the eve of the anniversary, the U.N. General Assembly voted to demand a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace and again called for Russia to stop fighting and withdrawal its forces from Ukraine.
In a vote seen as a global test of sentiment on Moscow’s war against its neighbor, 141 countries favored the resolution, while China and 31 other countries abstained, and six joined Russia in voting no.
New sanctions on Russia were also being discussed by G7 ministers, and the White House said the United States would announce “sweeping” new sanctions on February 24.
