Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledged to push for victory in 2023 as he and other Ukrainians on Friday marked the somber first anniversary of the Russian invasion.
As dawn broke on a day of commemorations and defiance, Zelenskyy tweeted that Ukrainians had proven themselves to be “invincible” in what he called “a year of pain, sorrow, faith and the unity.”
“We know that 2023 will be the year of our victory!” the tweet said, reports AP.
Marking the anniversary, Ukrainians planned memorials, candle vigils and other remembrances for their tens of thousands of dead — a toll growing all the time as fighting rages in eastern Ukraine in particular.
There were concerns that Russia might unleash another barrage of missiles against Ukraine to pile yet more sadness on the day.
Tributes to Ukraine’s resilience flowed from overseas. The Eiffel Tower in Paris was among monuments illuminated in Ukraine’s colors — yellow and blue.
The Ukraine president said the February 24, 2022, Russian assault had been a moment when “millions of us made a choice.” Ukrainians chose not the white flag of surrender “but the blue and yellow one. Not fleeing, but facing. Resisting & fighting.”
Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul
