A Russian missile strike killed 25 civilians at a train station in eastern Ukraine, according to officials in Kyiv. Attacks were also carried out to the north of Kyiv as Ukraine marked its Independence Day.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had warned that Russia might do something "repugnant" before the 31st anniversary of Ukraine gaining independence from the Soviet Union. As a result, national celebrations were cancelled.
In a video addressed to the UN Security Council, Zelenskyy said that rockets had hit Chaplyne, a small town some 145 kilometers west of Russian occupied Donetsk in the east of Ukraine. "Chaplyne is our pain today. As of this moment there are 22 dead," he said in an evening video address, stressing that Ukraine would hold Russia to account for its actions.
Independence Day celebrations are normally festive affairs, with the country's blue and yellow banners raised above crowds. But this year's event was much more sombre. Officials visited memorials, and the missile strike was a grim end to the day.
Ukraine fights to be free
Zelenskyy marked the day with an emotional speech that described Russia's invasion as a new independence day in which Ukraine has to fight to be free, rather than only voting at the ballot box.
"A new nation emerged on February 24 at 04:00. Not born, but reborn. A nation that didn't cry, didn't scream, didn't get scared. Didn't run away. Didn't give up. Didn't forget," Zelenskyy said Wednesday.
"Every new day is a new reason not to give up," he added. "Because, having gone through so much, we have no right not to reach the end. What is the end of the war for us? We used to say: Peace. Now we say: Victory."
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Across the country, Ukrainians paid their respects to those who had been killed in military action since the start of the invasion.
Although public celebrations haven't been allowed, many donned the traditional outfit of Ukraine. Foreign leaders, including UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, made a surprise visit to the capital. In Kyiv, Zelenskyy and his wife Olena Zelenska visited the Memory Wall of Fallen Defenders of Ukraine.
For Ukraine's President, the need to continue stressing the urgency of the war was clear in a separate speech to the UN, in which he outlined how crucial it is to respect international law. "We all have to make Russia recognise that the inviolability of borders and peace are unconditional values for all nations," the president stated in an effort to drum up Western support.
Europe has stood behind Ukraine but Europeans face a difficult winter ahead due to the cost of living and energy crises.
