Today, 24 February 2023, marks one year since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

We thank each person for their participation in the commemorative photo exhibition on the occasion of the first anniversary of the full-scale russian invasion. The event shows solidarity with Ukraine and our People at one of the most tragic stages in the history of our country.

The only reason for this unprovoked russian aggression was the neoimperial and expansionist ambition of the russian state and its leadership. But the russian leadership made a fatal mistake. Russian propaganda claimed that Ukraine would resist only for a few days. In reality, Ukraine has not only stopped the invasion, but Ukrainian defenders have liberated almost half of the territory seized by Russia since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

We are aware that the actual number of the victims is much higher, as the significant part of Ukraine's territory is still temporarily occupied by Russia. But to date, according to the data of the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine during the year of Russia's large-scale war against Ukraine, 9,655 civilians were killed, including 461 children, registered hundreds of cases of rapes and russian atrocities in the captured territories. 

Russian occupiers committed more than 68,000 war crimes. 

More than 81,000 objects of civilian infrastructure were destroyed, including more than 62,000 residential buildings. This is the most common type of russian crime. 

In view of the number of victims, consequences and damage caused by the large-scale russian invasion set out above, the continued military support of our allies and the solidarity of our partners, demonstrated in particular today in this act of homage to the countless victims of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, are of great importance to us.