One year of war in Ukraine: Zelensky recalled the beginning of the invasion as “the longest day” and promised to fight for victory

The Ukrainian president vowed to fight for victory in 2023 as he and other Ukrainians marked the somber one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion on Friday, calling it a “the longest day of our lives”.

At the dawn of a day of commemorations and reflections, Volodimir Zelenski adopted a dark and provocative tone and took the opportunity to congratulate the Ukrainians for their resistance facing the largest and deadliest war fought in Europe since World War II.

He stated that they proved invincible in what he described as “a year of pain, sadness, faith and unity”.

“We survived the first day of all-out war. We didn’t know what tomorrow would bring, but we understood it clearly you have to fight for every morning. And we fight,” she stated in a morning video message.

“It was the longest day of our lives. The most difficult day in our modern history. We got up early and haven’t slept since,” she added.

Ukrainians have organized tributes and torchlight processions, among other events, in memory of their tens of thousands of dead, a number that continues to rise due to the ongoing fighting, especially in the east of the country.

A year of war with no peace in sight

A year later, no sign of peace in sight. China has called for a ceasefire, an idea Kiev had previously rejected out of fear it would allow Moscow to regroup militarily after heavy battlefield setbacks.

The 12-point proposal presented Friday morning by Beijing’s foreign ministry also urged the West to do so lift the sanctions that are choking the Russian economy. This suggestion also doesn’t seem right as the allies are working to strengthen them.

In Ukraine there were fears that Moscow could launch another barrage of missiles on the country which would add even more sadness to a bleak date.

But fortunately, air raid alarms did not go off overnight in the capital, Kiev, and the morning started quietly.

However, the government has recommended online classes and has asked employees to work from home.

The day that a year ago started with rocket attackswith invading troops pouring across the borders and an exodus of refugees, it started much more quietly in the capital and other places that Ukrainian troops successfully defended in the first phase of the Russian onslaught, defying fears that the country could fall within a few days or weeks.

But as they travel the kyiv metro to go to work, buy coffee and keep busy, a sense of bewilderment inevitably accompanies the population.

Mykhailo Horbunov, a 68-year-old man trying to settle in the capital after being forced to leave his Russian-occupied hometown in the south of the country, said the invasion marked a before and after in his life. He has lost his farm and Kremlin soldiers have been living in his house for six months. He described the war’s impact on him as “a collapse”.

Tributes to the Ukrainian resistance continued abroad. The Eiffel Tower in Paris was one of the monuments illuminated with the colors of the Ukrainian flag, blue and yellow.

Zelensky started the day early with a tweet: “We know 2023 will be the year of our victory!”. Later, in a video speech, he promised not to abandon citizens living under Russian occupation.

Ukraine has not forgotten about you, has not abandoned you. One way or another, we will liberate all our territories,” she said.

A year later, the body count is dire on both sides. Western estimates indicate hundreds of thousands of dead and wounded.

The economic repercussions of the conflict have spread around the world, as have the diplomatic ones. Western nations support Ukraine militarily, financially and politically.

But China, India and other Southern Hemisphere countries have been ambivalent about the Western argument that Ukraine is the front line of a battle for freedom and democracy.

Source: AP