In Pics: Ukraine President Zelensky pledges push for victory on war anniversary
“We fiercely fought for every day. And we endured the second day. And then — the third,” Zelensky said. "And we still know: every tomorrow is worth fighting for.”
Ukraine’s leader pledged to push for victory in 2023 as he and other Ukrainians on February 24 marked the sombre anniversary of the Russian invasion that upended their lives and Europe's security. It was Ukraine's "longest day," President Volodymyr Zelensky said but the country's dogged resistance a year on has proven that "every tomorrow is worth fighting for”. (Source: AP)
2/11
On a day of commemorations, reflection and tears, the President's defiant tone captured the national mood of resilience in the face of Europe’s biggest and deadliest war since World War II. Zelensky, who has himself become a symbol of Ukraine's refusal to bow to Moscow, said Ukrainians proved themselves to be invincible in "a year of pain, sorrow, faith and unity”. (Source: AP)
3/11
Ukrainians wept at memorials for their tens of thousands of dead — a toll growing inexorably 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. A new video from there shot with a drone for The Associated Press showed how the town of Marinka has been razed, along with others. (Source: AP)
4/11
And the killing continued: Russian shelling killed another three civilians and wounded 19 in the most recent 24-hour spell, Ukraine’s presidential office said. (Source: AP)
Ukraine also is readying another military push to roll back Russian forces — with weaponry that has been pouring in from the West. Poland announced on February 24 that it has delivered Leopard tanks to Ukraine — the first of dozens that Western countries have pledged. (Source: AP)
6/11
Air raid alarms didn't sound overnight in Kyiv and the morning started quietly, allaying concerns that Russia might unleash another barrage of missiles to pile yet more sadness on Ukraine on the date of the anniversary. (Source: AP)
7/11
Still, the government recommended that schools move 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, Russian invaded Ukraine’s borders and a refugee exodus began. Back then, there were fears the country might fall within weeks. (Source: AP)
8/11
Zelensky referred back to those dark moments in a video address. “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.” (Source: AP)
The day was also particularly poignant for the parents of children born exactly a year ago as bombs began killing and maiming. Tributes to Ukraine’s resilience flowed from overseas. The Eiffel Tower in Paris was among the monuments illuminated in Ukraine's colours — yellow and blue. (Source: AP)
10/11
Zelensky got an early start to the day, firing off a tweet that promised: “We know that 2023 will be the year of our victory!” (Source: AP)
11/11
A year on, casualty figures are horrific on both sides, although Moscow and Kyiv are keeping precise numbers under wraps. Western estimates suggest hundreds of thousands of killed and wounded. The failure of the Russian military to fill its initial objective of capturing Kyiv severely dented its reputation as a fighting force. Still, it has unleashed an unrelenting barrage of firepower on Ukraine over the past year. Ukrainian armed forces put the tally at roughly 5,000 missile strikes, 3,500 airstrikes and 1,000 drone strikes. (Source: AP) (With inputs from AP)
![Ukraine’s leader pledged to push for victory in 2023 as he and other Ukrainians on February 24 marked the somber anniversary of the Russian invasion that upended their lives and Europe's security. It was Ukraine's "longest day," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, but the country's dogged resistance a year on has proven that "every tomorrow is worth fighting for.” (Source: AP)](https://images.moneycontrol.com/static-mcnews/2023/02/7-ukraine-russia-war-anniversary.jpg "Ukraine’s leader pledged to push for victory in 2023 as he and other Ukrainians on February 24 marked the somber anniversary of the Russian invasion that upended their lives and Europe's security. It was Ukraine's "longest day," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, but the country's dogged resistance a year on has proven that "every tomorrow is worth fighting for.” (Source: AP)")
![On a day of commemorations, reflection and tears, the Ukrainian president's defiant tone captured the national mood of resilience in the face of Europe’s biggest and deadliest war since World War II. Zelenskyy — who has himself become a symbol of Ukraine's refusal to bow to Moscow — said Ukrainians proved themselves to be invincible in "a year of pain, sorrow, faith and unity.” (Source: AP)](https://images.moneycontrol.com/static-mcnews/2023/02/5-ukraine-russia-war-anniversary.jpg "On a day of commemorations, reflection and tears, the Ukrainian president's defiant tone captured the national mood of resilience in the face of Europe’s biggest and deadliest war since World War II. Zelenskyy — who has himself become a symbol of Ukraine's refusal to bow to Moscow — said Ukrainians proved themselves to be invincible in "a year of pain, sorrow, faith and unity.” (Source: AP)")
![Zelenskyy referred back to those dark moments in a video address. “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.” (Source: AP)](https://images.moneycontrol.com/static-mcnews/2023/02/6-ukraine-russia-war-anniversary.jpg "Zelenskyy referred back to those dark moments in a video address. “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.” (Source: AP)")
