Ukraine marks Independence Day as Biden pledges $3B in military aid
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‘Courage’ and ‘madness’: World leaders react to six months of war
Zelensky tours Kyiv and visits war memorial on Independence Day
Photos: Six months of haunting images from the war
A wrecked apartment building after a rocket attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 25, the day after Russia’s invasion. (Heidi Levine for The Washington Post)
By Adela Suliman, Jennifer Hassan, Robyn Dixon and Claire Parker
Updated August 24, 2022 at 11:02 a.m. EDT|Published August 24, 2022 at 3:22 a.m. EDT
Ukraine marked its Independence Day and six months of war, holding a muted ceremony Wednesday in the capital, Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky placed flowers at a war memorial in the city and took part in a multifaith service at a church alongside his wife. He also warned that Russia could step up its attacks, even as he hailed the courage of Ukrainians in the face of Russian aggression. “It doesn’t matter to us what kind of army you have. What matters to us is our land. We will fight for it until the end,” he said.
World leaders have offered their support to Kyiv as President Biden praised the Ukrainian response and called the day “bittersweet” for many. He also announced a further $2.98 billion in weapons and equipment aid to the country. Outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a surprise visit to the Ukrainian capital, where he met with Zelensky and urged against offering concessions to Moscow to end the conflict.
Moscow invaded its neighbor Feb. 24, in an act that shocked the world and rattled the global economy. Since then, Russian forces have laid waste to Ukrainian towns, occupied swaths of land and seized control of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, in Zaporizhzhia. Ukrainian forces, relying on Western weapons and equipment, pushed Russian troops away from Kyiv early in the war. Now they are battling for control of the eastern Donbas region, Ukraine’s industrial heartland.
Here’s what else to know
Ukraine is holding a ghost parade — of burned and battered Russian tanks and artillery launchers — on Kyiv’s grandest boulevard to mark its first Independence Day since Russia invaded. The country is celebrating the statehood that Russian President Vladimir Putin has failed to destroy.
The Washington Post conducted a months-long examination of the Ukrainian military’s successful defense of Kyiv, interviewing more than 100 people. Here are five ways Ukraine fought and saved its capital, Kyiv, from Russian invaders.
The Pentagon is sending new weapons to Ukraine, suggesting that more close-range fighting against Russian troops will take place as Kyiv seeks an opportunity to retake lost ground.
Official in occupied southern Ukraine killed in car bombing, Moscow-backed leader says
By Claire Parker
A Russian occupation official in southern Ukraine was killed in a car bombing Wednesday, another Moscow-backed official for the region announced.
Vladimir Rogov, a member of the administration council in Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia, a region in southeastern Ukraine, said in a Telegram post that Ivan Sushko, the Moscow-backed administrator of the village of Mykhailivka, died of injuries sustained after an explosive device planted under the seat of his car detonated while he was driving.
In a separate post, Rogov said Sushko’s adopted daughter had also been in the car at the time of the explosion. She survived without critical injuries, he added. Rogov shared surveillance footage he said showed the explosion. In the video, time-stamped 8 a.m. Wednesday, a large cloud engulfs a car rolling into view. Subsequent footage, supposedly taken at the scene, shows a burned-out silver SUV. Blood can be seen at the base of the driver’s side door.
“The terrorist entity UGIL must be destroyed!” Rogov wrote, referring to Ukraine with a Russian abbreviation meant to invoke a comparison to the Islamic State.
The videos, and Rogov’s account, could not be independently verified.
Russian authorities are known to stage “false-flag” attacks to blame their opponents and create a pretext for a military operation.
30 minutes ago
Polish photographer reflects on covering the war
By Wojciech Grzedzinski
Ukrainians fleeing the conflict are stuck at the Medyka border crossing waiting to cross the border with Poland, in Shehyni, Ukraine, on Feb. 25. (Wojciech Grzedzinski for The Washington Post)
For Ukrainians, Feb. 24 was the beginning of the war; for the Poles, it was the beginning of the most significant wave of refugees they had to face since World War II.
More than 6.6 million Ukrainians, mostly women and children, left their country looking for a safe haven. Most of them found their temporary home in Poland. Not waiting for the authorities to react, Poles began to help those fleeing the war by organizing warm meals at the border and providing clothes, medical care and other resources. They were arranging for transportation and shelter. They opened their hearts and homes to those in need, welcoming Ukrainians to private flats and houses as their neighbors fled war.
Virtually all of my friends were committed to helping on different levels, from financial support to transporting people and resources to borders.
Ukrainians fleeing the conflict are stuck at the Medyka border crossing waiting to cross the border with Poland, in Shehyni, Ukraine, on Feb. 25. (Wojciech Grzedzinski for The Washington Post)
Ukrainians wait at the Medyka border crossing in Shehyni, Ukraine, on Feb. 25, 2022. (Wojciech Grzedzinski for The Washington Post)
Poland is a natural place for Ukrainians fleeing the war, not only because of its location, but also the similarity in language and culture. After 2014 (when Moscow-backed separatists took control of Donetsk and Luhansk), more than 1 million Ukrainians settled in Poland, blending into the landscape of Polish society. After Feb. 24, many of the refugees found shelter with their families and friends who had lived in Poland before. The Ukrainian language has become the second-most heard in the streets of cities.
The war in Ukraine has changed the demographic composition of Poland, not only in large cities but also in small villages. In my home village, 120 miles north of Warsaw, where only 90 people live permanently, five of them are a family who escaped from the war. After a few months, they have become an integral part of the village’s social tapestry.
Russian aggression has also resurfaced the barely healed wounds of complex Polish-Russian relations, revealing the past demons that both nations will have to face in the coming years.
33 minutes ago
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At Kyiv’s Russian Embassy, protests and dog poop (lots of dog poop)
By Steve Hendrix
Activists hang pictures of destroyed Ukrainian homes on the fence of the Russian embassy building in Kyiv, Ukraine, Aug. 24, 2022. (Wojciech Grzedzinski for The Washington Post)
KYIV — Ukrainian protesters spent part of Independence Day on the sidewalk in front of Moscow’s now abandoned Russian embassy in Kyiv, hoping to get a message of shame to Russian audiences. Activists were lining the fence in front of the shuttered building with graphic posters of destruction wrought by Russian shelling around Ukraine.
“Feeling guilty is not enough,” read a sign in Russian hung on the front gate.
Two rogue lawmakers, one from Russia and one from Belarus, addressed onlookers and gave interviews, both of them condemning their own governments’ actions and offering rhetorical support for Ukraine.
Yuri Fedorenko, the Ukrainian soldier who organized the protest, says the group he works with has been staging these event for six years, following the Russian invasion of Crimea. They have put together backchannel sources of information for Russians, which he declined to describe, that receives more than a million visitors a month.
“We know there a lot of people who do not support Putin,” Fedorenko said. “They have to more than just feel bad for us.”
Just behind the gate, in what remains technically a patch of Russian territory, was another sign of Ukrainian feelings: hundreds of poop bags lining the path to the embassy door, deposited over recent weeks by Kyiv dog owners.
Bags of dog poop line the entrance of the Russian Embassy in Kyiv on Aug. 24. (Wojciech Grzedzinski for The Washington Post)
45 minutes ago
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Six months after invasion, life in Russia has changed profoundly
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By Mary Ilyushina
Billboards in Moscow on Aug. 24 display soldiers with a slogan reading “Glory to the Heroes of Russia.” (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images)
The war in Ukraine has profoundly changed many aspects of life in Russia, including the average grocery store bill and the very makeup of Russian society.
President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade surprised many Russians, who had grown used to the Kremlin’s bellicose rhetoric on myriad state TV programs for years, often entirely dedicated to bashing Ukraine.
Six months in, the war remains distant for many people who choose to tune it out of their daily lives, aided by a de facto government ban on calling the invasion a “war” and prosecution of its critics. But the sense of unease and uncertainty occasionally breaks through.
Areas of Russia that are close to Ukraine have been rattled by exploding ammunition depots and mysterious fires possibly caused by a Ukrainian counteroffensive, undermining the Kremlin’s narrative of a controlled and limited operation. Russian officials have blamed those events on various causes, including a heat wave and lapses in the observance of “fire safety” rules.
Parents quietly mourn their young sons who sometimes had been thrown into battle with little to no training as part of what were called “regular exercises” or had been lured in a massive recruitment effort that offers short-term contracts with salaries that are triple the national average wage.
Thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of Russians fled the country, shocked by the brutal scenes emerging from occupied Ukraine and fearing a plunge into full-blown totalitarianism at home. But some people have rallied around Putin, seeing the invasion as a sacred mission.
Russians, who have enjoyed being a part of a globalized world for three decades, also have suddenly found themselves facing the prospect of a new Iron Curtain as Russian airlines remain cut off from European countries while those nations’ leaders debate a visa ban for Russian nationals.
Even the gateway to the digital world has been severely limited, with authorities shutting down access to independent Russian news outlets and foreign media, banning Facebook and Instagram as well as most popular VPN services.
Independent media outlets have been forced out of the country, nongovernmental organizations devoted to human rights have been depicted as foreign agents, and the few remaining opposition figures who refused to flee Russia out of principle have been arrested.
Russian supporters of the war and its most vocal opponents alike agree that Putin’s decision to invade was historic and has transformed Russia, although the full manifestations of that change are likely to reveal themselves only after the fog of war has lifted
46 minutes ago
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Putin’s invasion has strengthened Russia’s relationship with North Korea
By Michelle Lee
North Korea and Russia have long had a complicated relationship. But Pyongyang has become a vocal supporter of Moscow in the wake of the war, even becoming one of five countries that declined to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia has vowed to expand its relationship with North Korea, with President Vladimir Putin drawing Kim Jong Un closer in the aftermath of the invasion.
Russian companies have continued to employ North Korean laborers, despite U.N. sanctions banning countries from hosting workers who earn foreign currency for the Kim regime. North Korea has said it would send laborers to Donetsk as a part of its rapprochement with Russia.
North Korea continues to take steps to thaw its relationships with Russia and China, aimed at reducing U.S. influence in the region in the face of the U.S.-China competition, stalled diplomatic talks with the United States and Pyongyang’s growing nuclear ambitions.
In turn, China and Russia — two of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council — continue to shield Pyongyang from further international sanctions despite its repeated violations of restrictions on ballistic and nuclear weapons development.
55 minutes ago
Johnson makes secret trip to Ukraine on Independence Day
By John Hudson
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Independence Square in Kyiv during an airstrike alarm amid Russia's attack on Ukraine on Aug. 24. (Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)
KYIV, Ukraine — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a secret trip to Ukraine on Wednesday in a show of solidarity for the besieged country on its Independence Day amid fears of impending Russian missile strikes.
Johnson said Russian President Vladimir Putin “fatally underestimated the grit and the will” of the Ukrainian people in his “insane” attempt to invade Ukraine on Feb. 24.
In remarks beside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Mariyinksy Palace, the lame duck prime minister also took a hard line against offering concessions to Putin to end the six-month conflict, saying, “you can’t negotiate with a bear when it’s eating your leg.”
Johnson’s travel comes despite a sober warning from Zelensky of possible “hideous” strikes on Ukraine’s capital and key cities, as well as an advisory from the U.S. State Department urging Americans to leave Ukraine immediately amid possible missile strikes on civilian and government targets.
At home, Johnson’s bold visit is likely to draw guffaws as an expensive vanity project for an outgoing prime minister seeking to rehabilitate his scandal-prone image.
When asked by a reporter whether he wishes he were as popular in Britain as he was in Ukraine, Johnson simply said “yes.”
What’s not in dispute is the closeness of the relationship between Johnson and Zelensky. Ukrainian and British officials say they speak frequently and with great warmth.
Johnson, who accepted personal risk by walking the streets of Kyiv with his counterpart in April, was among the First World leaders to provide economic and military assistance to Ukraine. Britain has given more defensive weapons to Ukraine than any other European country, including nearly 7,000 antitank missiles.
His enthusiasm was matched by Zelensky, who awarded Johnson the Order of Freedom for his dedication to Ukraine’s independence. “We are lucky to have this friend,” Zelensky said.
The war-time president has singled out Johnson for praise repeatedly, applauding his survival of a confidence vote in June and publicly expressing his “sadness” and “sincere gratitude” after he was forced to resign a month later.
Zelensky’s fondness extends to the people of Ukraine, who have named pastries and sheep after him and Photoshopped his disheveled blond hair on the national rail service logo.
In his remarks, Johnson also applauded the United States, which has provided the vast amount of military assistance to Ukraine, as an “indispensable” ally. Zelensky also thanked Congress and President Biden and said, “We’re fighting for the same values.”
1 hour ago
Japan’s tone has shifted on migrants and conflict since Ukraine war
By Michelle Lee
Nijo-jo Castle in Kyoto, western Japan, is lit up in the colors of the Ukrainian flag on March 4 in a show of solidarity with Ukraine after Russia's invasion. (Kyodo/AP)
TOKYO — A Japanese saying sums up its lackluster response to Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea: “taigan no kaji,” or a fire across the river — and therefore, someone else’s problem. But Japan has taken a new tack in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, spurred by concerns about China’s growing territorial ambitions.
In the weeks following the invasion, Japan took uncharacteristically swift steps to join Western allies in financially pressuring Russia. It took extraordinary measures to support Ukraine, by sending ballistic vests despite its war-renouncing constitution and by accepting refugees despite its long-standing aversion to migrants.
Six months on, the war has left an indelible mark on Japan’s national security and defense policy debate. It has raised urgent questions about Japan’s readiness and crisis management capabilities and has brought the country closer than ever to significantly increasing its defense spending — a long-standing and controversial debate — as a part of its national security policy review this year.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has emphasized that “Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow,” as he seeks to rally the Japanese public and other Asian countries — especially those that are reluctant to take a stronger stance toward China — around his sense of urgency about a potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait. Further, Japan’s ongoing support for Ukrainian evacuees underscored that the country can, indeed, rally to support migrants. But it remains to be seen whether Japan’s outpouring of support for Ukrainian evacuees will mark a turning point for the country’s long-standing restrictions on those fleeing violence and persecution.
1 hour ago
Biden announces nearly $3 billion in aid to Ukraine
By Donna Cassata and Claire Parker
President Biden announced on Wednesday nearly $3 billion in aid to Ukraine as the country marks six months of fighting off Russia’s invasion.
“The United States of America is committed to supporting the people of Ukraine as they continue the fight to defend their sovereignty. As part of that commitment, I am proud to announce our biggest tranche of security assistance to date: approximately $2.98 billion of weapons and equipment to be provided through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative,” Biden said in a statement.
The money will allow Ukraine to acquire air defense systems, artillery systems and munitions, counter-unmanned aerial systems and radars, the statement said.
Biden noted that Ukraine’s Independence Day is bittersweet as thousands have been killed or wounded and millions displaced. “But six months of relentless attacks have only strengthened Ukrainians’ pride in themselves, in their country, and in their thirty-one years of independence,” Biden said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed gratitude to Biden for the “unprecedented package of security assistance” in a statement on Twitter Wednesday. “The people of Ukraine, all our defenders highly appreciate [the United States'] unwavering support,” he added. “Together we will win!”
KEY UPDATE
1 hour ago
‘Courage’ and ‘madness’: World leaders react to six months of war
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By Annabelle Timsit and Adela Suliman
World leaders marked Ukraine’s Independence Day by issuing statements of support to Kyiv and the Ukrainian people. Many expressed admiration for Ukraine’s resistance to Russian forces and pledged to continue standing by Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday that the war has been the “greatest crisis for Europe’s security since World War II.” He praised the Ukrainian people’s “tremendous courage” and the leadership of President Volodymyr Zelensky. “You can continue to count on NATO’s support for as long as it takes,” he added.
President Biden announced Wednesday nearly $3 billion in military aid to Ukraine, including air defense systems, artillery systems and munitions. In a statement, Biden noted that Ukraine’s Independence Day is “bittersweet,” as thousands of people have been killed or wounded and millions displaced. “But six months of relentless attacks have only strengthened Ukrainians’ pride in themselves,” he added.
French President Emmanuel Macron said in a video message posted on Twitter that “this August 24 must be a day of hope” and of unity between Ukraine and “the countries that support it.” He added, “You are hanging on, and you know that you can count on our support, all of us, today and tomorrow.”
Outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Kyiv on Wednesday and said that the United Kingdom will continue to support Ukraine for “however long it takes.” He added, “I believe Ukraine can and will win this war.”
Pope Francis called for “concrete steps” to end the war and avert the risk of a nuclear disaster at the Zaporizhzhia power plant. Speaking at his weekly general audience at the Vatican on Wednesday, he said war was “madness,” adding that “innocents pay for war.”
In Brussels, the building of the European Commission was lit up in blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine’s flag, on Tuesday night. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union is proud of its support for Ukraine. In June, E.U. leaders agreed to make Ukraine a candidate for membership in the bloc, a symbolic win for Kyiv — although membership could be decades away.
Krisjanis Karins, the prime minister of Latvia, said it was “our duty is to help” Ukraine.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described Ukraine’s fight as “a test of the world’s commitment to the ideals of democracy and the integrity of international borders.”
1 hour ago
Belarus’s Lukashenko sends odd message on Ukrainian independence
By Robyn Dixon
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who provided a staging ground for the Russian military's invasion of Ukraine. (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service/AP)
Belarus is a key player in Russia’s war to unravel Ukraine’s independence — but as Ukraine celebrated Independence Day on Wednesday, up popped Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko with a discordant message, congratulating Ukrainians and wishing them “a peaceful sky.”
Brushing aside his role in letting Russia launch devastating attacks on Ukraine from Belarusian soil, he said he was sure that “today’s contradictions will not be able to destroy the centuries-old foundation of sincere good-neighborly relations.”
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak was scathing in response. The greeting, he said, was “blood-soaked clowning.” Lukashenko seemed to believe the world had not noticed “his participation in crimes against Ukraine," he tweeted.
“And that is why he cynically wishes ‘peaceful sky’ by shelling us.”
Russia’s initial military plan to capture the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, within a few days relied heavily on its invasion force entering from southern Belarus. Russia has also launched heavy missiles from Belarus, and its air force uses Belarusian bases. Belarus has been sanctioned by Western nations over the regime’s role in enabling Russian attacks
Commenting on Lukashenko’s message, Tadeusz Giczan, a London-based independent journalist and analyst with the Center for European Policy Analysis, said it would be “hard to come up with anything more cynical today.”
“It’s the same person who’s been allowing Russia to fire missiles at Ukraine from his territory for six months now,” he said on Twitter.
Continuing Belarusian military exercises in the south have kept Ukraine off-balance, a distraction in its effort to resist Russia’s advance.
Lukashenko also wished Ukrainians “tolerance, courage, strength and success in restoring a decent life.”
“Belarus will continue to stand for the preservation of harmony, the development of friendly mutually respectful contacts at all levels.”
2 hours ago
Boris Johnson: U.K. will support Ukraine for ‘however long it takes’
By Karla Adam
LONDON — The outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that Britain will continue to support Ukraine for “however long it takes.”
In a video message to mark Ukraine’s independence day, Johnson said “I’ve never doubted for a moment that Ukraine is going win this struggle, because no force on Earth can overcome the patriotism of 44 million Ukrainians.”
Johnson is leaving office early next month, following a string of scandals. The two leadership hopefuls battling to replace Johnson have vowed to continue their support for Ukraine.
But Johnson and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have had a particularly close relationship. The United Kingdom has supplied Ukraine with significant weaponry and humanitarian support. In April, Johnson made a surprise visit to Kyiv, where Johnson and Zelensky were filmed walking through largely empty streets.
Some commentators have suggested that Downing Street has publicized his trips or conversations with Zelensky at times when Johnson was coming under pressure at home. Downing Street always denied any connection with the timings.
On Wednesday, Downing Street marked the moment with an arch of blue and yellow flowers — the colors of Ukraine’s flag — outside its famous black door.
Zelensky also acknowledged Johnson in his speech to mark independence day. Zelensky said that Johnson, “who speaks English, is much more understandable and close to us than murderers, rapists and looters who did it in Russian.”
3 hours ago
Kyiv calm on Independence Day as residents stay close to home
By Steve Hendrix
People attend a parade of destroyed Russian military equipment exhibited in Kyiv as part celebration of Ukrainian Independence Day on Tuesday. (Wojciech Grzedzinski/For The Washington Post)
KYIV, Ukraine — The Ukrainian capital was quiet Wednesday, even for the country’s biggest national holiday, which is typically a day off with family for many. On its first Independence Day since Russia invaded six months ago, many residents seemed to be heeding warnings that it was a dangerous time to gather in groups.
A ban on mass gatherings — announced in response to possible Russian missile strikes — was having an effect, even though it was being interpreted loosely. Hundreds of residents milled around a display of destroyed Russian tanks and armored vehicles in the city center, carrying Ukrainian flags, ice cream cones and selfie sticks.
It was nothing like the tens of thousands that filled Khreschatyk Street during last year’s Independence Day, when the threat of full-scale war was still theoretical but enough to keep clusters of police and soldiers scanning the skies.
Kyiv itself has not been the victim of a missile strike since June 26, and city residents are still largely at ease. Most retail shops were closed Wednesday, although dozens of cafes were open, and some were nearly full. At the Very Well cafe a few blocks from Maidan Square, most diners never looked up from their okroshka soup when an air raid siren sounded briefly in the distance.
“There have been too many sirens. People have to work and to eat,” waiter Igor Vodianu said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife, Olena Zelenska, visit the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen Defenders of Ukraine on Independence Day in Kyiv. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Reuters)
The Ukrainian national anthem sounded on many corners, often from shop doors, sometimes from car windows and once from a speaker mounted on a horse-drawn wagon trundling up Bohdana Khmelnitskogo Street.
The morning began with church bells in many neighborhoods. Special holiday Masses were only lightly attended in some places, but a crowd turned out to hear Metropolitan Epiphanius I, the primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
“The same enemy who held us captive for over 300 years wants to take us captive again,” the primate said in his sermon at St. Michael’s Cathedral. “Eight and a half years ago, Russia started a war and temporarily seized Crimea and part of Donbas. Exactly six months ago, full-scale Russian aggression began, the goal of which is to destroy our identity and to de-Ukraine Ukraine.”
“Morally, the Ukrainian people have already won, but we still have to win victory over the aggressor, expel the invaders,” he said.
People walk around destroyed Russian tanks on display in downtown Kyiv on Tuesday.
People walk around destroyed Russian tanks on display in downtown Kyiv on Tuesday. (Wojciech Grzedzinski/Wojciech Grzedzinski for the Washington Post)
KEY UPDATE
3 hours ago
Zelensky tours Kyiv and visits war memorial on Independence Day
By David Stern and Adela Suliman
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife, Olena Zelenska, lay flowers at the Memory Wall of Fallen Defenders of Ukraine on Wednesday. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Reuters)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky toured the capital Wednesday with his wife, Olena Zelenska, to mark 31 years of Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union. The anniversary comes after half a year of fighting against Russia, giving extra significance to events as the leader laid flowers at a war memorial.
The couple also took part in a religious service at St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv to pray for Ukraine, according to his official Telegram page. There, a chamber choir performed “Our Father” before heads of churches and other religious organizations prayed for Ukraine and for peace. Born to a Jewish family, Zelensky thanked the religious groups for their “spiritual support” of the country.
To mark the day, the first couple also took part in a ceremony at the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred memorial in Kyiv, which commemorates the dozens of protesters who were killed during the 2014 uprising that ousted Ukraine’s pro-Russian president. Honor guards sounded trumpets as the pair set up lamps near the cross and bowed.
In a defiant address to the nation earlier on Wednesday, Zelensky said his country had been “reborn” when Russia invaded and that it would never give up its fight for freedom. He also promised to recapture lost territory and hailed the courage of ordinary Ukrainians in the face of Russian aggression, saying they had “inspired the whole world” and made history defending their land.
Zelensky and his wife lay flowers at a memorial.
Zelensky and his wife lay flowers at a memorial. (Ukrainian Presidential Press
Service/Reuters)
REPORTING FROM TAIWAN
As Ukraine attacks, Russian defense minister claims slowing advance was planned
By Robyn Dixon
A burning shopping mall after shelling in Donetsk, Ukraine, on Wednesday.
A burning shopping mall after shelling in Donetsk, Ukraine, on Wednesday. (Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)
At the six-month point in the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu insisted that the slowdown in attacks was all part of an intentional plan.
Russia’s military recently has faced numerous Ukrainian attacks on ammunition storage depots in areas of occupied Ukraine and southern Russia, leading to a decline in Russian artillery attacks, according to Western analysts.
But Shoigu claimed Russia had consciously slowed its attacks to avoid civilian casualties, an explanation offered repeatedly by Russian officials to explain apparent military setbacks — despite evidence of Russian forces striking civilian infrastructure including apartment blocks in residential areas, villages, shopping malls, hospitals, schools and theaters.
He claimed Russia was observing “humanitarian law” during the war, adding that “everything is done to avoid casualties among civilians. Of course, this slows down the pace of the offensive, but we are doing it consciously.” Addressing a meeting of military officials of the Shanghai Co-operation Organization in Tashkent, he insisted that Russia hits only military targets.
The organization includes China, Russia and a number of Central and South Asian nations.
Shoigu also aired a debunked Russian narrative that the United States had carried out a biological weapons program in Ukraine. He claimed the United States and the West were waging an economic and information war designed to weaken Russia.
“Ukraine was chosen as an instrument of a hybrid war against Russia,” Shoigu said.
KEY UPDATE
Earlier today
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Photos: Six months of haunting images from the war
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By Morgan Coates and Adela Suliman
Graves are seen in Bucha, nearby a mass grave in the backyard of a church in early April.
Graves are seen in Bucha, nearby a mass grave in the backyard of a church in early April. (Heidi Levine for The Washington Post/FTWP)
Graves are scene in Bucha, an area just outside Kyiv where a massacre left more than 400 people dead and sparked global outrage, with allegations of Russian war crimes.
Ukrainians trying to flee war are gathered in the Lviv train station, heading Polish border in late February.
Ukrainians trying to flee war are gathered in the Lviv train station, heading Polish border in late February. (Wojciech Grzedzinski/Wojciech Grzedzinski for The Washington Post)
Almost 7 million Ukrainians have fled their country since the war began six months ago, according to the United Nations. The invasion has prompted one of the largest refugee crises in Europe since World War II. Millions of others have been displaced inside the country and anxiously await the return of peace before they can take their belongings and families back home.
Marfa Ivanovna (70) sits on her bed in a bomb shelter in Kutuzivka, one of the villages liberated by the Ukrainian army, from Russian occupation in Ukraine, on May 22.
Marfa Ivanovna (70) sits on her bed in a bomb shelter in Kutuzivka, one of the villages liberated by the Ukrainian army, from Russian occupation in Ukraine, on May 22. (Wojciech Grzedzinski/For The Washington Post)
Many who stayed in Ukraine have grown accustomed to frequent air raid sirens and have sought safety in makeshift underground bomb shelters in railways, schools and hospitals.
Emergency responders and volunteers carry an injured pregnant woman from the maternity hospital that was shelled in Mariupol, Ukraine, in March.
Emergency responders and volunteers carry an injured pregnant woman from the maternity hospital that was shelled in Mariupol, Ukraine, in March. (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP)
The southeast port city of Mariupol saw some of the heaviest fighting this year and faced months of siege before being captured by Russia. A startling image of a pregnant woman being evacuated by Ukrainian emergency workers stunned the world in March.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, left, and French President Emmanuel Macron examine visit Irpin, outside Kyiv, on June 16.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, left, and French President Emmanuel Macron examine visit Irpin, outside Kyiv, on June 16. (Ludovic Marin/Pool/AP)
World leaders and dignitaries, among them British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, U.S. first lady Jill Biden and the head of the United Nations, António Guterres, have visited Ukraine since the invasion. Above, the leaders of France and Italy tour destruction in Irpin, close to Kyiv, in a show of European solidarity. In June, E.U. leaders agreed to make Ukraine a candidate for membership in the bloc, a symbolic win for Kyiv and another sign of how the war is reshaping the world.
Residents of Irpin flee heavy fighting after Russian forces entered the city in March.
Residents of Irpin flee heavy fighting after Russian forces entered the city in March. (Heidi Levine for The Washington Post/FTWP)
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Zelensky faces criticism over failure to warn of war
By Liz Sly
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during an interview with The Washington Post at his office in Kyiv on Aug. 8. (Heidi Levine for The Washington Post)
KYIV, Ukraine — Until recently, Ukrainians seemed to see President Volodymyr Zelensky as beyond reproach, a national hero who stayed in Kyiv despite the risk to his personal safety to lead his country against invading Russian troops.
Comments he made to The Washington Post justifying his failure to share with Ukrainians details of repeated U.S. warnings that Russia planned to invade have punctured the bubble, triggering a cascade of public criticism unprecedented since the war began.
Ordinary people tweeted their experiences of chaos and dislocation after an invasion for which they were unprepared and described how they might have made different choices had they known what was coming. Public figures and academics wrote harsh critiques on Facebook of his decision to downplay the risk of an invasion, saying he bears at least some responsibility for the atrocities that followed.
In the interview with The Post, published last week, Zelensky cited his fears that Ukrainians would panic, flee the country and trigger economic collapse as the reason he chose not to share the stark warnings passed on by U.S. officials regarding Russia’s plans.
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‘We are the free people of independent Ukraine,’ Zelensky says
By Jennifer Hassan
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to reporters in Kyiv on Tuesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to reporters in Kyiv on Tuesday. (Roman Pilipey/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
“After six months of the attempts to destroy us, we are the free people of independent Ukraine,” President Volodymyr Zelensky told his nation as it marked Independence Day — and half a year of bloody conflict with Russia.
In his lengthy address, Zelensky hailed the courage of Ukrainians in the face of Russian aggression and said they had “inspired the whole world” and made history defending their land. He praised European allies for denouncing Russia’s war, imposing sweeping sanctions and expressing support for Ukraine in its mission to defend itself — and its desire to become a member of the European Union.
“On February 24, we were told: You have no chance. On August 24, we say: Happy Independence Day, Ukraine!” Zelensky said, citing predictions earlier this year that Ukrainian forces would not be able to withstand the power of Russian troops.
Zelensky acknowledged that Ukrainians would be marking the day in myriad ways — on the front lines, on the road or defending from the air and sea. Others, he said, would be at home, using smartphones to raise awareness of Russia’s invasion. Ukrainians are all, he said, playing a part in helping their county win the war.
Earlier today
Russia arrests a war critic, one of the last free opposition figures
By Robyn Dixon
Russian law enforcement officers stand guard outside the office of Roizman Charity Fund, after founder Yevgeny Roizman was detained in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on Aug. 24.
Russian law enforcement officers stand guard outside the office of Roizman Charity Fund, after founder Yevgeny Roizman was detained in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on Aug. 24. (Reuters)
Russian police Wednesday arrested one of the last remaining prominent opposition figures in Russia not yet jailed, Yevgeny Roizman, former mayor of the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, over his harsh criticisms of President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russian media aired video of the early-morning police raid in Yekaterinburg, with a team of at least half a dozen masked police officers shouting as they entered the building. A shirtless Roizman was shown answering the door, before being arrested for discrediting the military. Any criticism of Russia’s invasion is banned. Police searched the apartment and removed computer equipment.
Roizman, a longtime Kremlin critic, faces jail time, having been fined several times recently over his continued criticisms of the war. He told journalists he was aware he could be arrested any day for speaking out, but that he was not afraid. Most other prominent opposition figures have either been jailed or left the country to avoid prison.
Roizman came to prominence as an anti-drug activist in Yekaterinburg and runs a charity foundation, meeting city residents regularly, answering questions and trying to help people resolve problems. Before his arrest, he held weekly runs with a group of supporters and friends.
“We don’t run fast, and afterwards, we drink tea and eat pies,” he wrote on Twitter on Friday, inviting people to join the run Saturday morning.
Earlier today
Analysis: Six months after Russia invaded Ukraine, the world is on a knife edge
By Ishaan Tharoor
This week marks six months since the start of Russia’s latest invasion of Ukraine. The resulting war has dominated international headlines, disrupted global supply chains and galvanized a new spirit of solidarity in the West. For many Europeans, the moment marked a “turning point in history” — as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz declared in the early weeks of the conflict.
The stark moral dimensions of the war — the brazen, destructive Russian advance and the courageous Ukrainian response — led to the scales falling off the eyes of European elites who had sought peaceful accommodation with Russia. What was unleashed was on a scale not seen in the heart of Europe in decades. It definitively ended, as the New Statesman’s Jeremy Cliffe wrote, “the easy optimism of the immediate post-Cold War years.” But, he added, even as we drift “towards something new,” its contours are “still hazy.”
The fog of war is still thick over Ukraine. Beyond the country’s trench-strewn landscapes and blockaded, battered coastal cities, a clash of ideologies, even of visions of history, is still playing out. In their refusal to bow to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s neo-imperialistic ambitions, Ukrainians see themselves on the front line of a global war between democracy and autocracy. That’s a vision echoed by their backers in the West, including President Biden himself, who declared in March that Ukraine was waging a “great battle for freedom … between liberty and repression, between a rules-based order and one governed by brute force.”
Read the full story
Earlier today
Western sanctions are wounding but not yet crushing Russia’s economy
By Jeanne Whalen, Robyn Dixon, Ellen Nakashima and Mary Ilyushina
Russia's international military expo in Moscow on Saturday. (Photo for The Washington Post)
Soon after the Western world launched a broad package of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, President Biden argued that the measures were already causing Russia’s economy to “crater” and “reel.”
Six months later, the picture appears more mixed.
While most economists agree that Russia is suffering real damage that will mount over time, the economy — at least on the surface — does not yet appear to be collapsing.
The ruble’s initial nosedive in value quickly reversed after the state limited currency transactions and after Russia’s imports plummeted — an economic picture that can hardly be described as healthy, but one that calmed public fears about a currency crisis. Unemployment hasn’t noticeably surged, and Russia continues to earn the equivalent of billions of dollars every month from oil and gas exports.
In Moscow and St. Petersburg, restaurants and bars remain busy, and grocery stores are stocked, even if prices have jumped and some imported goods, such as whiskey, are harder to find. The International Monetary Fund predicts Russia’s economy will contract by 6 percent this year — a sharp fall but less than the 10 percent or more that some economists were initially forecasting.
Read the full story
New weapons for Ukraine suggest preparation for closer combat
By Alex Horton
The Pentagon is sending new weapons and equipment to Ukraine that will better prepare its military to fight Russian troops at closer ranges, potentially signaling that Kyiv and its backers see an opportunity to retake lost ground after weeks of grinding artillery duels along the front lines.
Ukrainian officials have been openly discussing an offensive on the Russian-held strategic port city of Kherson, but there is little evidence along the front lines that Ukraine is prepared to execute an operation that would require large numbers of troops, armored vehicles and powerful close-range weapons to overcome the numerically superior Russian military.
The latest package appears to be a first step toward addressing some of the shortfalls in the weaponry Ukrainian forces would need to launch a counterattack, particularly across mined areas in the approach to well-entrenched Russian positions. A successful offensive would include an ability to attack from a variety of distances.
Read the full story
UNDERSTANDING THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE CONFLICT
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War in Ukraine: What you need to know
The latest: Grain shipments from Ukraine are gathering pace under the agreement hammered out by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations in July. Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports had sent food prices soaring and raised fears of more hunger in the Middle East and Africa. At least 18 ships, including loads of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, have departed.
The fight: The conflict on the ground grinds on as Russia uses its advantage in heavy artillery to pummel Ukrainian forces, which have sometimes been able to put up stiff resistance. In the south, Ukrainian hopes rest on liberating the Russia-occupied Kherson region, and ultimately Crimea, seized by Russia in 2014. Fears of a disaster at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station remain as both sides accuse each other of shelling it.
The weapons: Western supplies of weapons are helping Ukraine slow Russian advances. U.S.-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) allow Ukrainian forces to strike farther behind Russian lines against Russian artillery. Russia has used an array of weapons against Ukraine, some of which have drawn the attention and concern of analysts.
Photos: Washington Post photographers have been on the ground from the very beginning of the war — here’s some of their most powerful work.
How you can help: Here are ways those in the U.S. can help support the Ukrainian people as well as what people around the world have been donating.
Read our full coverage of the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for updates and exclusive video.
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