THE world united yesterday to mark a year since the Russian invasion of Ukraine — as the first Western tanks arrived in the war-torn country.
President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted victory was inevitable if the aid kept coming.
And in a rousing speech in capital Kyiv, he said his courageous citizens could look back on the past 12 months with pride.
As allies imposed further sanctions aimed at crippling Vladimir Putin’s war machine, Mr Zelensky said in a national address: “It was a year of resilience. A year of care. A year of bravery.
“A year of pain. A year of hope. A year of endurance. A year of unity.
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"The year of invincibility. The furious year of invincibility.
“Its main result is that we endured. We were not defeated. And we will do everything to gain victory this year.”
Speaking at an open-air medal ceremony with army chief General Valeriy Zaluzhny, Mr Zelensky said every Ukrainian had lost someone — “a father, a son, a brother, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a loved one”.
He vowed: “We will never forget them. We will never forgive that.”
Hailing beleaguered cities such as Bucha, Irpin and Mariupol as “capitals of invincibility”, he said: “Ukraine has inspired the world. Ukraine has united the world.”
He went on: “We will never rest until the Russian murderers face deserved punishment.
"The punishment of the International Tribunal. The judgment of God. Of our warriors. Or all of them together.”
Gen Zaluzhny thanked “ordinary heroes who took up arms to protect their families”.
He said: “They are people who are now, at this moment, beating back the occupier, holding the line, freezing in our cold, but dear, native land.”
Joining Mr Zelensky in Kyiv, Poland PM Mateusz Morawiecki revealed four of his country’s German-built Leopard 2 tanks had already arrived in Ukraine, with ten more to follow.
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Berlin increased its commitment from 14 to 18 tanks, Sweden has announced about ten, as well as air defence missiles, while Finland pledged to send three tanks.
Portugal, Spain, Norway and Canada have pledged a further 25 Leopard 2s.
The UK will send 14 Challenger 2s and announced fresh sanctions including an export ban on “every item Russia has been found using on the battlefield to date”.
The Foreign Office said that the list included aircraft parts, radio equipment, and electronics.
The US is sending 31 Abrams M1 tanks. And Washington announced an extra £1.7billion for drones as Defence Secretary Loyd Austin warned Ukraine allies to prepare “for the long haul”.
President Joe Biden declared: “A dictator bent on rebuilding an empire will never erase the people’s love of liberty.
"Brutality will never grind down the will of the free. And Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia — never.”
At least 100,000 of each side’s soldiers are estimated to have been killed or injured, thousands more civilians have died and more than 13million people have been displaced inside Ukraine.
TRIBUTES AROUND THE WORLD
Around the globe, events were held to commemorate the grim anniversary and to show worldwide unity.
Four-year-old Stefania Lavrenko wore angel wings in the colours of the yellow and blue national flag during a gathering of Ukrainian refugees at a convention centre in Utrecht, Netherlands.
The Eiffel Tower and Sydney Opera House were lit in blue and yellow, too.
In Berlin, protesters dumped a rusting Russian T-72 tank outside the Russian embassy.
A candlelit vigil in central London was addressed by Dame Helen Mirren and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and gatherings included one at a war memorial in Holland Park, West London.
PM Rishi Sunak was joined outside No10 by wife Akshata Murthy as he led a minute’s silence, while King Charles expressed hope Ukraine would take strength from “the outpouring of solidarity from across the globe”.
The King continued: “The people of Ukraine have suffered unimaginably from an unprovoked full-scale attack on their nation.
"They have shown truly remarkable courage and resilience in the face of such human tragedy.”
In stark contrast, Russian officials used the day to boast of their latest slaughter.
Moscow’s Ministry of Defence claimed 240 Ukrainian soldiers had died in a new bombardment of the blood-soaked eastern Donbas.
China proposed what it called a 12-point peace plan and urged both sides to negotiate.
But with Russia still holding about a fifth of Ukraine territory Mykhailo Podolyak, a top adviser to Mr Zelensky, said a ceasefire now would cement Russia’s occupation and mean a Ukrainian defeat.
And Nato’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenburg pointed out: “China doesn’t have much credibility because they have not been able to condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
UK silent partners
AS day broke on England’s south coast yesterday, 300 trainee Ukrainian soldiers paused to remember the thousands of comrades in arms killed or wounded in the last year.
They observed two minutes’ silence next to 150 British soldiers, as well as Canadian and Lithuanian troops who have five weeks to turn these raw recruits into battle-ready fighters.
The still Kent air echoed to the singing of the Ukrainian national anthem. “Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the Heroes!” the recruits shouted.
Among them was 18-year-old postman Marian, from Ternopil, near Lviv.
His two brothers are already on the front line — one was injured in a bomb blast four months ago but survived.
Marian’s parents were promised their son would not be conscripted into the army but Marian wanted to fight.
He remembered his sister’s son, ten-month-old Maxym.
He said: “I don’t want him brought up under the bullet and the bomb. I must play my part to defeat Putin.”
Another recruit, policeman Andree, 25, said: “During the service I remembered the friends I’ve lost — too many to count.”
The UK has trained 10,000 Ukrainians since the invasion on February 24 last year.
Captain George Cox, of the Royal Lancers, said: “They take great honour in putting on their uniform every day with the Ukrainian flag on the sleeve.”
