Ukraine enters its third year of war this Saturday, February 24, weakened, with aid from its allies drying up while the Russian military machine has gained power.
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When Vladimir Putin announced that Russian troops were entering Ukrainian territory at dawn on February 24, 2022, the Russian president believed they could take kyiv in a few days but Ukrainian resistance forced them into humiliating retreats.
In 2023, it was Ukraine which experienced a major disappointment: the failure of its major summer counter-offensive, so much so that the Russian army, with an economy geared towards the war effort, finds itself in a position of strength, with the Ukrainian military complaining of the weakness of their troops as well as the lack of shells and anti-aircraft defense equipment.
Also read Jean-Yves Le Drian: “Ukraine is Europe’s first line of defense”
The large presence in Ukraine on Saturday of Western leaders, led by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, to show their support, does not mask this state of affairs: American aid is blocked by the Republican rivals of the Democratic President Joe Biden, and that of the Europeans has fallen behind.
Ursula von der Leyen hails
Kiev’s
“resistance”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised
the "extraordinary resistance of the Ukrainian people"
on Saturday upon her arrival in Kiev, two years to the day after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine .
“In kyiv to mark the anniversary of the second year of Russia's war against Ukraine. And to celebrate the extraordinary resistance of the Ukrainian people
,” Ursula von der Leyen said on social media.
“More than ever, we strongly support Ukraine.
Financially, economically, militarily, morally.
Until the country is finally free
.
Russian Defense Minister visits his troops in Ukraine
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited his troops in Ukraine, the Russian army announced on Saturday, the second anniversary of the Moscow offensive.
“Today, in terms of the balance of power, the advantage is on our side
,” the minister told Russian soldiers from a command center.
The army press release specifies that the minister had been informed that Russian forces had gone on the offensive after seizing the town of Avdiivka.
France’s support will
“not weaken”
, says Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron warned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Saturday that France's support for Ukraine will not
"weaken"
and that we should
"not count
on" a
"weariness of Europeans"
.
“Two years of war.
Battered and bruised, but still standing.
Ukraine is fighting for itself, for its ideals, for our Europe.
Our commitment to him will not weaken,”
wrote Mr. Macron, in a message posted by the Élysée on the social network X on the occasion of the second anniversary of the Russian invasion.
“President Putin's Russia must not count on any weariness among Europeans
,” the French presidency also warns in a press release on X.
“The outcome of this war will be decisive for European interests, values and security.
France is and will remain alongside Ukraine and the Ukrainian people
,” adds the Elysée press release.
Also read: Édouard Tétreau: “A European Defense Commissioner to make Vladimir Putin tremble?”
London announces 245 million pounds to help Ukraine stock up on munitions
The United Kingdom announced on Saturday an envelope of 245 million pounds sterling (287 million euros) to help Ukraine replenish its munitions, two years after the start of the Russian invasion.
This aid aims to
“reinvigorate supply chains in order to produce the artillery ammunition which Ukraine urgently needs to increase its reserves”
, indicates in a press release the British Ministry of Defense.
The Ukrainian military
"repulsed the Russian invader to reclaim half of the territory that Putin stole, while causing significant damage to Russian capabilities, with around 30% of Russia's Black Sea fleet destroyed or damaged, and thousands of tanks and armored vehicles reduced to wreckage
,” declared British Defense Minister Grant Shapps.
“Together we will ensure that Putin fails, for a victory for democracy, the rules-based international order and the Ukrainian people
,” he added.
One dead in Russian drone crash into apartment
One person died and at least three others were seriously injured Friday evening in Odessa in southern Ukraine after a Russian drone crashed into an apartment building, local authorities reported.
The machine was shot down by Ukrainian forces, like four other drones also destroyed during the night in the Odessa region, the Ukrainian army said.
“One of the downed drones crashed into a residential area of Odessa, causing destruction and a fire
,” according to a message from the Ukrainian Defense Forces for the south of the country, posted on the Telegram social network.
“Even though the fire was quickly extinguished, one of the apartments was completely destroyed
,” the message said.
The owner of the apartment died but
“rescuers managed to pull his wife out of the rubble”
and two other residents of a neighboring apartment were taken to hospital, some of them for burns, Ukrainian forces said.
In a message on Telegram, regional governor Oleg Kiper confirmed that a man's body was discovered at the scene.