Ukrainians brace for cruel war’s third year as Volodmyr Zelensky hosts visiting leaders
King Charles has praised the ‘determination and strength’ of the Ukrainian people as Volodmyr Zelensky greeted visiting prime ministers on the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
King Charles III on Saturday praised the “determination and strength” of the Ukrainian people in a message to mark the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour.“
The determination and strength of the Ukrainian people continues to inspire, as the unprovoked attack on their land, their lives and livelihoods enters a third, tragic, year,” he wrote, adding “theirs is true valour, in the face of indescribable aggression”.
Latvia’s foreign minister, Krisjanis Karins, has urged other NATO countries to consider following her country in introducing military conscription to bulk up defences against the Russians.
President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed on Saturday that Ukraine would defeat Russia as the war entered a third year.
“We have been fighting for this for 730 days of our lives. We will win on the greatest day of our lives,” Mr Zelensky told an open-air anniversary event in Kyiv.
“Any normal person wants the war to end. But none of us will allow Ukraine to end,” Mr Zelensky said, stressing that the war must end “on our terms”, with a “just” peace.
He spoke alongside the Canadian, Italian and Belgian prime ministers and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen who came to Kyiv to mark two years since Russia’s invasion.
Mr Zelensky hugged the leaders and handed medals to soldiers at a ceremony at Kyiv’s Gostomel airport, targeted by Russia in the first days of its invasion.
“Two years ago, we met the enemy landing force here with fire; two years later, we meet our friends and partners here,” the president said.
Ukraine on Saturday said it had hit one of Russia’s largest steel plants with a drone strike on the second anniversary.
Russia reported a fire in the huge Novolipetsk (NLMK) factory in the western Lipetsk region, with images on social media showing a huge blaze.
If confirmed, the attack would be the latest in Ukraine’s stepped-up campaign against targets deep inside Russia.
Ukraine’s SBU security service claimed the attack and said the plant was making weapons for the army to use in Ukraine.
“The drone strike on the Novolipetsk steel plant was organised by two Ukrainian special services at once: The SBU and the (military intelligence) GUR,” the SBU said.
On its website, NLMK calls itself “Russia’s biggest producer of steel”. The Russian army earlier said that it had at night intercepted two drones over the Lipetsk region as well as a drone over the southern Kursk region.
Setbacks
When Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” at dawn on February 24, 2022, many expected victory within days, but Ukraine fought back, forcing Russian troops into humiliating retreats.
Since then, however, Ukraine has suffered setbacks with the failure of its 2023 counteroffensive.
The Russian army has built up a position of strength by boosting its defence industry, while Ukraine’s troops are short of manpower and running low on Western-supplied ammunition for artillery and air defences.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg urged Ukraine and its allies not to “lose heart” and von der Leyen praised Ukraine’s “extraordinary resistance” as she arrived in the Ukrainian capital.
Ukraine’s military chief Oleksandr Syrsky said he was confident of victory “because light always conquers darkness”.
But the overall picture remains bleak for Ukraine due to some Republicans in the US congress blocking a vital $US60 billion (92bn) aid package, on top of delays in promised European deliveries.
Russia is attacking hard in the east after capturing the heavily fortified town of Avdiivka on February 17.
In the east Ukraine city of Pokrovsk – a gathering point for civilians fleeing fighting – troops sent a clear message to the foreign leaders gathered in Kyiv.
“Give us artillery, drones, counter-battery, shells,” said a 31-year-old Ukrainian soldier, who identified himself as Woodie.
“Our infantry, armed with assault rifles and grenades, were facing artillery, aircraft, and tanks,” added a 39-year-old serviceman from Kyiv, who has been fighting for two years.
Russia has kept up its barrage of devastating drone and missile attacks on Ukraine’s cities.
In the latest strikes, Ukrainian authorities said three civilians were killed in Dnipro and Odesa in the night between Friday and Saturday.
In Kyiv, the mood was grim.
“For women of Ukraine, this is our heartache – for our husbands, for our children, for our fathers,” said nutritionist Olga Byrko in Kyiv.
“I would really like this to end as quickly as possible.” Yuriy Pasichnyk, a 38-year-old businessman, told AFP Ukrainians “have learned to live with it … now the war is our life”.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said air raid sirens had sounded 989 times in the capital over two years of war – an average of more than once a day.
He said that “almost 200 civilians” had been killed in the capital over that time, including six children.
Ukraine estimates the total number of civilians killed at around 50,000.
In August 2023, The New York Times quoted US officials as putting Ukraine’s military losses at 70,000 dead and 100,000 to 120,000 injured.
Leaked US intelligence in December indicated that 315,000 Russian troops had been killed or wounded.
But on the streets of Moscow, most people told AFP they backed the war. “I’m proud of our men,” said 27-year-old Nadezhda, an environmental engineer. “Of course I am anxious for them, but it’s a pleasant feeling that they are doing great, they are out there fighting for our country.”
One of the few to give an alternative opinion was Konstantin, a drama teacher, who said: “I’m against any war. Two years have passed and it annoys me that people can’t talk to each other and are still at war.”
Messages of support
Joe Biden has insisted NATO is “stronger, larger, and more united than ever” as he marked the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine.
“The unprecedented 50-nation global coalition in support of Ukraine, led by the United States, remains committed to providing critical assistance to Ukraine and holding Russia accountable for its aggression,” the US President said.
“The American people and people around the world understand that the stakes of this fight extend far beyond Ukraine.”
Taiwanese foreign minister Joseph Wu has shared a message of support for Ukraine, saying his country condemns Russia’s aggression.
“I want to thank the brave Ukrainians for showing us what fighting spirit is and passing it on to Taiwan,” he said in a video message.
Taiwan is itself under threat from Chinese aggression, and has expressed concern at shrinking US support for Ukraine.
The former UK prime minister Boris Johnson has shared a picture of himself with Mr Zelensky, revealing he was in Ukraine on Saturday. Mr Johnson is popular among Ukrainians and close with Mr Zelenskyy thanks to what was seen as his leading support for Kyiv.
Next targets
Sky News (UK)’s defence analyst Michael Clark, a visiting professor at King’s College London, says Ukraine may lose more of the territory it has been defending during the rest of this year, “but it will be working hard to build up its strength for 2025 and to convince the Western powers that it can prevail against Russia’s invasion eventually’’.
He says Russia will try to take Kramatorsk and Slovyansk, which would effectively give it the whole of the Donbas region.
“At sea, the Ukrainians will try to make the most of the pressure they can put on Crimea through their increasing success in the western part of the Black Sea. In the air, Russia is making the most of its natural numerical advantage, but Kyiv will be hoping it can turn the air war to hold Russian aircraft further away from its front line areas.”
Shadow oil fleet
Two years after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, prompting multiple rounds of Western sanctions, Moscow increasingly relies on a shadow fleet of ships to circumvent curbs on its oil exports.
Experts say the so-called ghost fleet of tankers with opaque ownership or without proper insurance has allowed the Kremlin to keep exporting despite a Western-imposed embargo and oil price cap on its global sales.
This has heightened concerns over the myriad risks it poses, as well as worries about the continued revenues generated for Russia’s war machine.
In the latest attempt to crack down on the practice, the United States on Friday blacklisted 14 Russian tankers from the state-run shipping company Sovcomflot.
Washington said it had 45 days to offload oil or other cargo from the 14 vessels before enforcement.
The Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) defines a “ghost fleet” as commercial vessels that are neither owned by countries in the G7 coalition with the European Union, or that do not use protection and indemnity (P&I) insurance.
The real ownership of such ships is often difficult to determine, due to the unclear origins of the parent companies and intermediaries used.
AFP
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