Today is the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion in the decade-long war. It was on February 24, 2022 at 04:50 a.m. that russian dictator vladimir putin announced the start of a "special military operation" in Ukraine. After 10 minutes, explosions rang out in major cities of Ukraine. Today is the 730th day of struggle, invincibility, separation, unity, losses and experience.
Ukrainian News Agency reminds of symbols that help not to despair in these dark days.
Mriya
The largest transport aircraft in the world, the An-225, did not have time to leave Ukraine before the full-scale invasion. Why this happened should be revealed by the investigation. Mriya [Dream] was destroyed on February 27 in the hangar in Hostomel, when the russian invaders shelled the airfield. However, the heart of the giant plane continues to beat. It was possible to remove three engines from Mriya and put them on Ukrainian Ruslan An-124-100 planes, which are currently abroad and continue to fly in the interests of Ukraine. Currently, the possibility and expediency of restoring the An-225 is being discussed.
Mriya plane
Zmiyinyi Island
On February 24, 2022, the Ukrainian border guard, who was on the Zmiyinyi Island, sent a russian warship, the cruiser Moskva, which threatened and offered the Ukrainians to surrender, to a well-known address. The phrase became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance to the full-scale invasion. Despite the fact that Zmiyinyi was still captured, the cruiser Moskva was destroyed, and on July 7, 2022, a small piece of land in the middle of the Black Sea was liberated. A year later, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the island to honor the memory of those who died for Ukraine. The return of the island is proof that Ukraine will regain the rest of the territory.
Zmiyinyi Island
Borodianka rooster on the locker
In April 2022, a photo of the wall of a destroyed house in the city of Borodianka in the Kyiv Region circulated on social networks. The city was under occupation, there were fierce battles, and after the liberation it became known about the war crimes of the occupiers. However, Ukrainians were excited by a photo of a kitchen locker, which stood on the kitchen wall. Even more stunned was the ceramic rooster on the locker - because it was not nailed to the wall, but simply stood when everything around it collapsed. Rooster is a product of the Vasylkiv majolica factory (now Vasylkiv majolica). It became a symbol of stability. Currently, the locker is in the funds of the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity.
Locker in Borodianka
Azovstal
The heart of Mariupol and the last fortress of the occupied city - all this is about the metallurgical plant Azovstal. It became a symbol of struggle, the last citadel of resistance to the invaders. Gradually, the russian occupiers dislodged the Ukrainian defenders from the rest of the districts of occupied Mariupol to the territory of the plant. Along with military personnel, Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) employees, paratroopers, policemen, and border guards, there were also civilians. There were almost 3,000 defenders of the city in total. They tried to take them by storm, dropped bombs on them, attacked them from the air, sea and land. The bastion held until May 20, 2022, when the soldiers were ordered to lay down their weapons for their lives.
Some of the defenders of Mariupol were returned from captivity. The commanders of the Azov regiment were in Turkey for some time. They were returned in July 2023. However, part of the defenders of the city are still in russian captivity.
Ukrainian military in Azovstal
Ghost of Kyiv
They closed the sky over the capital when enemy missiles were aimed at it. The legend of the elusive ace pilot was born in the first hours after the full-scale invasion, when it became known that several enemy planes had been shot down. Initially, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) stated that they were not disclosing the pilot's name for security reasons. Then they announced that the Ghost of Kyiv is the collective image of the pilots of the 40th tactical aviation brigade of the Air Force. However, the legend about the avenger, who protects Kyiv from the russian invaders, could not be stopped. Ghost of Kyiv became the hero of comics, murals and memes.
Now Ghosts of Kyiv are waiting for more modern F-16 aircraft.
Ghost of Kyiv
Keep fighting - you are sure to win! God helps you in your fight!
In 2022, it suddenly turned out that the words of Taras Shevchenko regarding the struggle of Ukrainians became truly prophetic. During a counteroffensive in the Kharkiv Region in the fall of 2022, the Ukrainian military came across a billboard where Kobzar's poems were written. Tearing down propaganda slogans, the fighters came across a passage from the poem "The Caucasus":
Keep fighting - you are sure to win!
God helps you in your fight!
For fame and freedom march with you,
And right is on your side!
Flower seeds in pockets
The Kherson Region was one of the first to be occupied, but the Ukrainians resisted there. So, a resident of Henichesk fearlessly approached the occupiers and urged them to put sunflower seeds in their pockets. "Put seeds in your pocket so that when you are killed, sunflowers will sprout," said the fearless woman. It is still unknown what the name of this brave lady was, because Henichesk is still under occupation. But the fields where there were battles in 2022 are gradually overgrown with flowers.
Sunflower
"Kalidor" of invincibility
Located behind two walls that can protect against projectile fragments, the “kalidor’ [corridor] became a shelter for Ukrainians under time of air alerts. Ukrainians borrowed the word "kalidor" from children's slang and use it as an ironic name for a place where it is safer. In "kalidor" they sleep, work, read, talk, while air defense works outside the walls of the houses.
HIMARS and Patriot
The American HIMARS rocket artillery system helped destroy many warehouses with russian ammunition and complicate the logistics chains of the russian federation. The system is capable of delivering precise strikes on critical objects from a distance of 80 kilometers. Weapons of Ukrainian or Soviet production cannot hit at such a distance. It was the HIMARS that showed that with modern weapons, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are capable of inflicting significant losses on the enemy. After their successful use, other weapons began to be given to Ukraine, in particular, Patriot missile systems, which also changed the theater of hostilities. Thanks to American air defense systems, Ukraine managed to counter russian missile attacks. And although they did not stop completely, it was still possible to cover critical infrastructure in some cities.
Patriot
Ukrposhta stamps
After it turned out that the sunken cruiser Moskva was depicted on the stamp "russian warship, go f*** yourself", a real philatelic boom took place in Ukraine. Every month, Ukrposhta dedicates a stamp to significant events and dates. Among the latter is the stamp "And there will be spring", dedicated to the anniversary of the full-scale invasion. And among the most popular brands are those dedicated to the liberated cities of the Kharkiv and Kyiv Regions, railway workers, postmen and critical infrastructure workers, and, of course, Patron the dog.
Ukrposhta stamps
We will remind you that a declassified US intelligence report indicates that the war in Ukraine cost russia 315,000 killed and wounded servicemen, or almost 90% of the personnel at the time of the start of the full-scale invasion. These data are for the end of 2023.
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