Today, February 24, is the third anniversary of the start of the full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine, writes UNN.
Exactly three years ago, on this day in 2022, Russian troops invaded the territory of sovereign Ukraine, starting the largest war in Europe since World War II.
The morning of February 24, 2022 divided the lives of millions of Ukrainians into "before" and "after". At 4 a.m., the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin announced the start of the so-called "special military operation". Within minutes, Ukrainian cities woke up to explosions - Russian missiles attacked military airfields, warehouses, and later residential buildings. Russia launched a full-scale invasion that generations will not forgive.
In the first weeks, the Russians went on the offensive in several directions at once - from the north through Belarus, from the temporarily occupied Crimea, and from Donbas. The main goal of the Kremlin was to capture Kyiv - the invaders wanted to break through to the capital quickly, eliminate the Ukrainian authorities and force the country to capitulate. The occupiers allotted three to five days for the "capture of Kyiv".
The reality turned out to be different. Ukrainian defenders stopped the enemy near the capital, defeated it in Gostomel, Irpin and Bucha, did not allow it to break through to Kharkiv, Sumy and Chernihiv. At sea, the Russian cruiser pride of the Black Sea Fleet, the "Moskva", was destroyed.
While Ukrainians were liberating the north, one of the most tragic pages of the war was unfolding in the south - the siege of Mariupol. Russian troops surrounded the city, cut off evacuation routes, shelled residential neighborhoods, hospitals, and maternity wards. The only stronghold of defense remained "Azovstal", where Ukrainian defenders held out until May 2022.
In September 2022, the world was surprised by the Ukrainian lightning counteroffensive. Within a few weeks, our troops liberated almost the entire Kharkiv region, including Izyum, Kupiansk and Balakliia. The enemy was pushed back from Kharkiv, destroying the myth of the "second army in the world".
In November, Ukraine returned Kherson. This was a strategically important victory: the only regional center that the occupiers managed to capture since February 24, again flew Ukrainian flags.
Over these three years, Ukraine has gone through painful losses and heroic victories. The armed forces have destroyed more than 800,000 occupiers and thousands of units of enemy equipment. But the war continues.
Since February 24, 2022, at least 12,654 civilians have been killed in Ukraine, and 29,392 have been injured. Among the dead are 673 children, and another 1,865 children have been injured.
Today, on the third anniversary of the war, we remember not only the losses, but also the heroism of our people. Ukraine will never be the same as before, but it will be. And it will be free. This struggle for our independence and dignity continues, and together we will definitely win.
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