KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine's leader pledged Friday to push for victory in 2023 as he and other Ukrainians marked the somber anniversary of the Russian invasion that upended their lives and Europe's security.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the country's dogged resistance a year on has proven that "every tomorrow is worth fighting for."
On a day of commemorations, reflection and tears, the Ukrainian president's defiant tone captured the national mood of resilience in the face of Europe's biggest and deadliest war since World War II. Zelenskyy, who became a symbol of Ukraine's refusal to bow to Moscow, said Ukrainians proved to be invincible during "a year of pain, sorrow, faith and unity."
"We have been standing for exactly one year," Zelenskyy said. Feb. 24, 2022, he said, was "the longest day of our lives. The hardest day of our modern history. We woke up early and haven't fallen asleep since."
Ukrainians wept at memorials for their tens of thousands of dead. Though Friday marked the anniversary of the full-scale invasion, combat between Russian-backed forces and Ukrainian troops has raged in the country's east since 2014. New drone footage showed the town of Marinka was razed, along with others.
Russian shelling killed another three civilians and wounded 19 others in the most recent 24-hour spell, Ukraine's presidential office said.
Ukrainians looked back at a year that changed their lives and at the clouded future.
"I can sum up the last year in three words: Fear, love, hope," said Oleksandr Hranyk, a school director in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city.
Lining up in the capital, Kyiv, to buy anniversary commemorative postage stamps, Tetiana Klimkova said "this day has become a symbol for me that we have survived for a whole year and will continue to live."
"On this day," she said, "our children and grandchildren will remember how strong Ukrainians are mentally, physically and spiritually."
China on Friday called for a cease-fire but peace was nowhere in sight.
Zelenskyy gave qualified support to China's apparent new interest in playing a diplomatic role, saying: "The fact that China started talking about Ukraine is not bad."
"But the question is what follows the words," he said during a wide-ranging news conference. "The question is in the steps and where they will lead to." Ukraine previously rejected a pause in the fighting for fear it would allow Russia to regroup militarily after bruising battlefield setbacks.
A 12-point paper issued by China's Foreign Ministry also urged an end to sanctions that aim to squeeze Russia's economy.
That suggestion looked like a nonstarter. The U.S., in coordination with Group of Seven allies, announced a new sanctions on Russian firms, banks, manufacturers and people Friday, aiming them at entities that helped Russia evade sanctions earlier in the war.
The U.S. announced a new, $2 billion package of assistance for Ukraine on Friday. It includes weapons to counter Russia’s unmanned systems and several types of drones, as well as electronic warfare detection equipment.
Ukraine is readying another military push to roll back Russian forces with the help of weaponry that has poured in from the West.
NATO member Poland said Friday it delivered four advanced Leopard 2A4 tanks, the first country to hand the German-made armored vehicles to Ukraine. The prime minister of Poland said on a visit to Kyiv that more Leopards are coming.
"Ukraine is entering a new period, with a new task — to win," Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said.
"It will not be easy. But we will manage," he added. "There is rage and a desire to avenge the fallen."
Air raid alarms didn't sound Friday in Kyiv, alleviating concerns that Russia might unleash another barrage of missiles on the anniversary.
Tributes to Ukraine's resilience took place in other countries.
The Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Colosseum in Rome were among monuments illuminated in Ukraine's colors — yellow and blue. In Berlin, a wrecked Russian tank was put on display.
Anti-war activists in Belgrade, Serbia, left a cake covered with red icing representing blood and a skull on top on a pavement near the Russian Embassy.
In Russia, media and rights groups reported more police arrests of protesters who took to the streets with anti-war slogans and flowers in various parts of the country.
The war's one-year mark kept Ukraine's president exceptionally busy. Zelenskyy kicked off the day with an early morning tweet that promised: "We know that 2023 will be the year of our victory!"
He also addressed troops on a Kyiv square and handed out honors, including to the widow and daughter of a fallen soldier, telling them: "We will never forget." In a Kyiv hospital, he decorated wounded fighters.
Unable to fly by plane from Ukraine because of the war, Zelenskyy did the next best thing at his news conference, spending nearly 2½ hours with journalists from around the world. He thanked country after country for its support.
The news conference was televised live, which was unusual. Generally, Zelenskyy's speeches and comments are broadcast with a delay until he has left a location to protect him from a possible attack.
Zelenskyy argued that Ukraine cannot negotiate with Russia while its aggression continues. "Leave our territory. Stop bombing us," he said. He argued Russian President Vladimir Putin should be held responsible for war crimes.
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