LISTEN: Ukrainian journalist delivers special bulletin to mark one year of war
Dasha Zakharets was one of the first refugees to arrive in North Yorkshire
Last updated 24th Feb 2023
It's been a year since Russia launched a full scale invasion of Ukraine. Today one of the first refugees to arrive in North Yorkshire has delivered a special bulletin to mark the anniversary.
Dasha Zakharets was one of the first refugees to arrive in North Yorkshire. We've been working with her to deliver a special bulletin to mark the 1st anniversary of the war.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's president has pledged to push for victory in 2023 as he and other Ukrainians marked the sombre first anniversary of the Russian invasion that changed their lives.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has tweeted that Ukrainians had proven themselves to be "invincible" in what he called "a year of pain, sorrow, faith and unity".
"We know that 2023 will be the year of our victory!".
In a defiant video address, Mr Zelensky recalled the terror unleashed a year ago by the Russian assault, triggering Europe's biggest and deadliest war since the Second World War.
He said February 24, 2022, the date of the Russian invasion, was "the longest day of our lives".
"We survived the first day of the full-scale war. We didn't know what tomorrow would bring, but we clearly understood that for each tomorrow, you need to fight. And we fought," he said.
Ukrainians planned memorials, candle vigils and other remembrances for their tens of thousands of dead - a toll growing all the time as fighting rages in eastern Ukraine in particular.
A special ceremony is being held at York Minister at midday to mark the anniversary.