Ukraine’s president vowed to push for victory in 2023 as he and other Ukrainians celebrated the grim one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion on Friday, calling it “the longest day of our lives.”
At the dawn of a day of commemoration and reflection, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy struck a tone of somber defiance, using the 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 proven invincible in what he called “a year of pain, sadness, faith and unity.”
“We survived the first day of the full-scale war. We didn’t know what tomorrow would bring, but we clearly understood that for every tomorrow, you need to fight. And we fight,” he said in an early morning video address.
It was “the longest day of our lives. The hardest day in our modern history. We woke up early and haven’t slept since,” she said.
Ukrainians planned memorials, candlelight vigils and other remembrances for their tens of thousands of dead, a toll that is growing all the time as fighting rages in eastern Ukraine in particular.
There were concerns that Russia could launch another barrage of missiles at Ukraine to add even more gloom to the day.
Fortunately, the air raid alarms did not sound overnight in the capital, kyiv, and the dreary morning began in silence.
Still, the government recommended that schools move classes online and office workers were asked to work from home.
Tributes to Ukraine’s resilience flowed in from abroad. The Eiffel Tower in Paris was one of the monuments illuminated with the colors of Ukraine: yellow and blue.
Zelenskyy started the day early, releasing a tweet promising: “We know 2023 will be the year of our victory!”
He followed that up with his video address in which he vowed not to abandon Ukrainians living under Russian occupation.
Ukraine “has not forgotten about you, has not given up on you. One way or another, we will liberate all our lands,” she said.
One year on, the casualty figures are dire on both sides, with Western estimates suggesting hundreds of thousands dead and injured.
The economic repercussions have spread throughout the world. Diplomatic repercussions, too. Western nations are supporting Ukraine militarily, financially, and politically. But China, India and the countries of the global south have proven ambivalent about Western arguments that Ukraine is the front line of the fight for freedom and democracy.
