On a rather springy day in Kyiv on Friday, Ukraine marks one year of resistance to the Russian invasion with events to commemorate and build faith in final victory, now also in the presence of Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
In a discreet but highly symbolic event on Sophia Square in the center of Kiev, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky addressed fellow citizens, talking about the year of Victory, which, according to him, will be 2023, while he honored some of the heroes of the 12 months of war in the country.
The event began in front of the Hagia Sophia by raising the Ukrainian flag and those present observed a minute of silence in memory of the fallen heroes for the freedom and independence of Ukraine.
Mr. Zelensky’s speech was accompanied by an emotional appeal to the heroes of the war, in whose honor all the dead soldiers of the Ukrainian armed forces and security forces, who, according to Western estimates, are at least 100,000, were honored.
One by one, the dead heroes appeared on a huge screen on Sofiyskaya Square, naming them, and their widows or mothers present were invited to present honorary plaques from President Zelensky himself. The Ukrainian leader even gently addressed each of the widows and mothers who came up to posthumously pay tribute to the heroes of the country.
Some regiments of the Ukrainian army were honored in the same way, with the presence of soldiers and banners of each regiment.
At the same time, the chairman of the Polish government also arrived in Kyiv. According to Polish state television, Mr. Morawiecki rushed to the Wall of Remembrance near St. Michael’s Monastery of the Golden Age.
Earlier on Friday, Krzysztof Sobolevsky, secretary general of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party, said the head of the Polish government traveled to Kiev with a message of support and solidarity to the Polish people on the anniversary of the Russian invasion.
Poland also chose Friday to send the first of 14 Leopard 2 tanks promised by Warsaw to Kyiv, Bloomberg reports.
The Ukrainian and Polish leadership will also exchange information about US President Joe Biden’s visits to Kyiv and Warsaw. It is expected that Mr. Morawiecki will take part in other events dedicated to Ukrainian heroes.
Source: Ukrinform, TVP, Channel 5, CNN, Bloomberg
Source: Kathimerini
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