Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/KYIV: The Ukraine-Russia war entered its second year on Friday with no end in sight, and Russia isolated at the United Nations (UN) in a vote demanding its forces withdraw, while G7 nations leaders are set to coordinate on help for Ukraine.
As fighting raged on in Ukraine’s south and east, its allies around the globe showed their support on the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
Paris lit up the Eiffel Tower in the Ukraine flag colours of yellow and blue, and people draped in Ukrainian flags gathered at a vigil in London. In Brussels, European Union (EU) buildings were similarly lit up in the colours.
UN General Assembly adopted resolution
The United Nations (UN) General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a resolution to mark the war’s anniversary and demanded that Russia pull out and stop fighting.
There were 141 votes in favour at the UN and 32 abstentions. Six nations joined Russia to vote no Belarus, Eritrea, North Korea, Mali, Nicaragua, and Syria.
Russia’s ally China abstained from the United Nations vote. Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia’s Deputy U.N. Ambassador, dismissed the action at the United Nations as “useless”. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed the vote. “This resolution is the powerful signal of unflagging global support for Ukraine,” he said in a post on Twitter.
On the battlefield, the Ukraine army reported raised Russian activity in the south and east as the anniversary approached, with at least 25 villages and towns in three northern regions along the Russian border under fire. Reuters wasn’t able to verify battlefield reports.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February. 24 the previous year to seize Kyiv and topple the pro-European government, but those hopes were dashed by fierce defense and army blunders that embarrassed Moscow.
Ukraine’s success with counter-offensives in late 2022 to grab back much of the territory it had lost. Now Russia controls around a fifth of Ukraine.
