By Correspondent in Ukraine
Almost two years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remains resolute in his determination to attain freedom for his country.
Despite the ongoing war and the massive destruction it has caused, Zelenskyy continues to inspire hope and confidence among Ukrainians, emphasizing that “the fight for freedom will be won.”
Recently on the night of November 25, the Anti Missile Defence shot 50 drones flown over Kyiv. The Kyiv state administration said this was the most mass drone attack since the Russian full scale invasion of Ukrainian.
And two days ago (on the night of December 29 2023), the Russian Federation launched one of the largest missile attacks on Ukrainian cities and villages since the entire period of its full-scale invasion, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Preliminary information shows that Russians used about 158 weapons to launch missiles of various types to attack Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, Odesa, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi and other Ukrainian regions.
From the latest attack, 26 people were killed and 126 injured.
A Meeting With A President At War
In his relentless pursuit of peace, Zelenskyy has engaged in diplomatic meetings, including with African leaders in Kyiv. Notably, he met Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema alongside other African leaders to discuss the situation and debunk disinformation campaigns aimed at swaying international opinion against Ukraine’s position.
“… They came with mixed emotions and mixed information about what was happening. But they all left Ukraine changed; they could see what Russia had done and the consequences of their shameful assault on the people and especially our children,” Zelensky said when he met a team of media representatives from different African countries mid last month. “They left for Russia with a better understanding of what Ukraine is fighting for … I am ready to visit any nation on the African continent and I’ll be happy to have a meeting with them … to make maximum efforts to achieve stability.”
Ukraine has endured significant destruction and suffering due to the war, with estimates of the cost of reconstruction and recovery reaching a staggering $411 billion.
Hundreds have also died, mostly civilians and Zelenskyy does not want any more lives to be lost in the war.
“We have buried more of our children already … do we have to have more children now so that we can also send them to fight this war and get killed?” he somberly wonders. “We have to bring this war to an end. It may not be to someone’s liking but it has to end, it has to be done.”
A War on Civilians
Russia’s war against Ukraine began in 2014 but the full scale invasion came in February 2022 when soldiers invaded areas such as Bucha, Irpin and Borodyanka which are close to capital Kyiv.
Air and ground raids killed hundreds of Ukrainians, mostly civilians, and brought down residential and commercial property.
In Irpin town alone, on March 2, 2022, Russia’s air missiles struck residential buildings which housed about 200 civilian families. Some of those that survived evacuated while others remained to suffer the ensuing indiscriminate daily shellings by Russian soldiers who, according to Kyiv Regional Administration Head of the International Cooperation Department Mykyta Gerashchenko, were aware of civilian occupation of the building.
To date, the death toll in Irpin remains unknown but estimates indicate that about 290 civilians were killed.
An Act of Genocide?
In Borodyanka, the story is similar – civilian residential buildings were targeted.
Kostyantyn Moroz, the deputy head of Borodyanka, Irpin, said the killings were an act of genocide.
“More than 200 people were buried in the rubble after the bombing; 8 apartment buildings were demolished. Much more damage was done underground,” he says.
Caritas and the Red Cross were the first to offer charity support in Borodyanko where temporary housing was built for affected civilians.
In total, about 730 flats were destroyed by Russian forces, Moroz adds.
One year after de-occupation of the area, the Ukrainian government has massive work to rebuild the city.
“Billions of dollars are needed to restore infrastructure facility,” Moroz says.
Reconstruction of residential houses, schools and other key facilities is currently underway.
The destruction caused by the Russian missile strikes in this area is also still visible to this day, triggering a sad reminder of the magnitude of attacks on civilians in Ukraine.
A Stand to Protect Country and Citizens
In the early days of the war, Ukrainian forces blew up Romanivsky Bridge, which is also known as the Road of Life, to stop the Russian soldiers’ advances into capital Kyiv.
According to Gerashchenko, hundreds of civilians from Irpin and Bucha escaped the war on foot using the destroyed bridge and were assisted by Ukrainian forces, volunteers and the Ukrainian State Emergency Service.
A baby stroller stands on one side of the destroyed bridge, certainly used by a mother who could have been fleeing to safety with her child. It has been preserved as a symbol of effects of the war that has left families separated and infrastructure destroyed.
A new bridge is being built to replace the old one which Gerashchenko says will serve as a memorial for the Russian invasion.
War Crimes Must be Punished
Father Andrii Golovin is a priest at St Andrew’s Orthodox Church in Bucha that hosts a mass grave of civilians in its backyard.
He demands nothing more than justice for the crimes against humanity committed in Bucha.
“People were killed on streets. And Russians didn’t allow an opportunity to bury in cemeteries so we buried in parks, backyards and church grounds. Nearly 80% of those killed were civilians killed on purpose. It was an execution. We hope those crimes can be punished. All crimes should be punished and we don’t want what happened here to be repeated anywhere. No matter where a country is, whether Europe or Africa, if you engage in criminality, you have to be punished,” he says with vivid sadness.
“We’re demanding punishment against those who perpetrated the crimes not because we’re angry but because that’s the right thing to do to those who engage in criminality…”
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe last July concluded that atrocities by Russian troops in Bucha amounted to crimes against humanity and hinted that they were in possession of credible evidence of violations of even the most fundamental human rights.
At St Andrew’s Church, one of the halls is used for exhibition of graphic pictures of victims of the atrocities, photographed a few days after the invasion.
Russian soldiers attacked Bucha until March 31, 2022 and later eventually withdrew from the town, leaving behind a trail of destruction in what is referred to as the Bucha massacre.
So far, statistics show that between 500 and 700 civilians were brutally killed in Bucha, among them women and children, some with the marks of torture and hands tied behind their backs.
Attacks On Odesa
Odesa, the third most populated city southwest of Ukraine on the Black Sea, has not been spared by the Russian invasion.
Between February 2022 and September 2023, around 28 civilians have been killed and over a hundred injured in Odesa alone due to the Russian occupiers’ strikes. Providing Black Sea routes to the ports of Türkiye and the Mediterranean Sea to Africa, Odesa had been serving as one of the ports neither blocked nor occupied by Russia.
Five more seaports are in Russian-occupied Crimea since 2014 while Berdyansk and Mariupol were occupied in the spring of 2022.
These ports have been vital for Ukraine’s grain exports to African countries but with the Russian invasion, ports of Odesa and Mykolaiv took up that task despite Russia’s constant shelling of the city.
Odesa is also an important cultural center with several UNESCO sites which equally suffered from Russia’s war this year.
One other attack was on an Orthodox church, which assault is said to have been clearly targeted.
A missile struck a portion of the large church building and nearly brought it to rubble.
A Road To Recovery
Nevertheless, the country remains steadfast in its commitment to rebuilding its infrastructure and seeking support from global partners to end the conflict.
International support for Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction efforts is evident, with the European Union and other partners providing assistance.
In October 2022, the European Commission and Germany co-hosted the International Expert Conference on the Recovery, Reconstruction, and Modernization of Ukraine, underscoring their commitment to the nation’s revitalization. Collaborative efforts involving the World Bank and the United Nations further fortify Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction process.
Support From Africa
Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Ivanovych Kuleba this year undertook a visit to 12 African countries in an effort to rekindle relations that have existed between those nations and Ukraine.
He, however, noted that getting support from African countries when it comes to voting for Ukrainian resolutions at the United Nations was a challenge.
“… You can’t agree that let’s be consistent unless you keep voting for Ukrainian resolutions in the United Nations but not abstain. You can agree that next, when the next voting takes place and you will vote pro, then you say yes we will support but it doesn’t mean in a way that the resolution after [that] will be supported by this nation,” Kuleba says. “This is the difference in relation with European nations. When European nations say we will support this issue, it means we constantly will support. With African nations, it works differently. You have to reach agreement for every step separately. You can’t agree on the principle but that’s the peculiarity of diplomacy. We keep it in mind and we keep working. But the truth is that really, for more than 20 years, Ukraine and Africa were not dealing with relations seriously so we need time. The diplomacy machinery were not working from both sides.”
He says Ukraine neither desires nor wishes to exploit anyone in the process of reigniting relations with African countries.
“Our desire to work with Africa is out of joint mutual respect. We are not coming to Africa like other nations where you say we built you a bridge and give us a gold mine or Diamond mine and we will keep mining and will probably do anything you want. There’s a different model when nations force African nations to sell some raw materials at low prices than the market price. We do not suggest this model.
We do what we can do together to make the partnership safe and secure,” he says.
Ukraine is currently in the process of establishing nine more embassies in selected African countries to increase cooperation between them and his country.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said $25 million will be spent in establishing embassies in nine African countries as part of the African renaissance and to rekindle Ukraine’s relationship with them.
The establishment of these additional nine embassies in selected African countries reflects Ukraine’s proactive approach in fostering cooperative and mutually beneficial relationships.
President Zelenskyy’s unwavering determination to achieve freedom for Ukraine has earned him admiration and respect from his fellow citizens. Though the challenges are immense, Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people relentlessly strive to rebuild infrastructure, deliver vital services, and implement much-needed reforms.
Their resilience is rooted in a vision that envisions a future of prosperity and strengthened diplomatic ties with the international community.
In conclusion, the story of Ukraine’s perseverance and resilience captivates the world’s attention. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a beacon of hope and determination, leads the nation in its pursuit of freedom.
With unwavering global support and the Ukrainian people’s indomitable spirit, Ukraine confidently moves forward, rebuilding its infrastructure, overcoming the ravages of war, and forging stronger diplomatic relationships worldwide.
As we witness Ukraine’s journey, we are reminded of the human capacity to overcome adversity and rebuild even the most shattered of dreams. May President Zelenskyy’s unwavering commitment and the Ukrainian people’s resilience serve as an inspiration for nations facing unimaginable challenges.