Ukraine marks two years of war
On 24 February, Ukraine marked two years since Russia invaded the country. Leaders from around the world joined the president, Volodymyr Zelensky, in the capital Kyiv. Zelensky said, “None of us will allow our Ukraine to end.”
Why did the war begin?
Russian president Vladimir Putin believes that Ukraine should be part of Russia. In 1991, Ukraine became an independent country when the Soviet Union broke up. The Soviet Union was a group of countries ruled from Moscow, the capital of Russia. In 2014, Russia invaded Crimea, a part of eastern Ukraine, and in 2022, Russian forces invaded the rest of Ukraine. Putin called this “a special military operation”, not a war, saying his aim was to “demilitarise” Ukraine (take away its army) to stop it threatening Russia. Ukraine had not threatened Russia. He also said it was to stop NATO becoming more powerful. NATO is a group of 31 countries, including the UK and the US, that agree to defend each other if attacked. Ukraine wants to join NATO.
Putin expected a quick victory but Ukraine fought back and other countries provided military supplies.
What has been the impact?
Around six million Ukrainians, mostly women and children, have left the country to seek safety. Towns and cities have been bombed and many buildings, including homes, have been destroyed. It is estimated that around 10,000 civilians (non-military people) have died during the war, and many more have been injured. In February, Zelensky said that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died, though estimates from some experts are much higher. The UK’s defence ministry believes that 350,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or injured.
What’s happening now?
Russia controls around 20% of Ukraine. Experts say the war is at a standstill, with both sides running out of weapons and soldiers. Zelensky says Ukraine needs more help from other countries in order to win. The US is becoming less supportive and, unlike last year, no senior US leaders visited Ukraine on the anniversary. Ukrainian elections were due to take place in March this year but they have been temporarily put off because of the war. Russia is due a presidential election in March; Putin will almost certainly win it.
How are other countries helping Ukraine?
European leaders met in
Paris on 27 February to talk about Ukraine. French president Emmanuel Macron said countries must help Ukraine, or Russia could go on to attack NATO members, leading to a bigger war. He said support for Ukraine is “ensuring our collective security, for today and tomorrow”. EU leaders recently agreed to give £42 billion worth of support to Ukraine over the next four years. All around the world, events were held to show support for Ukraine and its people on 24 February, including in the US and Europe.