The Russian invasion of Ukraine is marking a grim second anniversary. |26 February 2024

Two years ago, on February 24, 2022, the lives of Ukrainians changed completely. We all woke up to a war – a war that Russia started against Ukraine. At 5.45 in the morning, Russian invaders shelled Lutsk, hit the airfield.
Two years ago, Russia unleashed the first continental war in Europe in the 21st century, undermining the system of collective global security established after World War II.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, more than 14 million people – nearly a third of the country's population – have fled their homes.
According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as of mid-February 2024, there were 6.479 million Ukrainian refugees outside Ukraine. The lion's share of them - more than 6 million - are in Europe.
In its latest report, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine confirmed the death of 10,582 people and the wounding of another 19,875 people among the civilian population of Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation on February 24, 2022. The mission believes that the actual figures are likely to be much higher.
According to the Ukrainian government, as of February 23, more than 1,758 children were injured in Ukraine as a result of the full-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation, 528 children died and more than 1,230 were injured of various degrees of severity.
In the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, the Russians repeat the worst practices of Nazism – mass executions, deportations, abuse of the civilian population, deliberate looting and theft of private property and valuables. The terrorist state also attacks Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure. Most missile attacks target civilian objects.
Many analysts say that fighting will continue until at least early 2025. What happens after that, including how soon and under what circumstances the war ends, will depend on the events that unfold this year.
During two years of full-scale war, Ukraine inflicted considerable losses on Russia both in manpower and in weapons and enemy equipment.
As of February 23, 2024, the Defence Forces of Ukraine had already eliminated about 408,240 Russian invaders, who were either killed in combat or left unable to return to the army ranks due to disability.
A large amount of enemy equipment was also destroyed during this period. In particular, 6,526 enemy tanks, 12,410 armored combat vehicles, 9,916 artillery systems, anti-aircraft defence equipment – 682, aircraft – 339, helicopters – 325, cruise missiles – 1,903, ships / boats – 25, submarines – 1, and many other equipment.
In addition, more than 2.6 thousand Ukrainian soldiers and about 150 civilians returned to their homeland as part of the exchange of prisoners between Ukraine and the Russian Federation (Source of statistical data: https://www.ukrinform.ua).
Over the last two years, President Zelenskiy and former Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi have consistently appealed to democratic nations, requesting military assistance in the form of arms for Ukraine. They assert that the resolution to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war lies in defeating Russia on the battlefield, contending that diplomatic solutions are only viable if Russia ceases its territorial annexation ambitions and refrains from future invasion attempts.

Maryna Morin-Adeline

The Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Seychelles

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this letter are those of the writer and do not represent the views of the Seychelles NATION newspaper.