War against Ukraine reaches 500 days and Zelensky commemorates his fight from Snake Island

500 days have passed since the fall of the first Russian missiles in Ukrainian territory, so this Saturday, July 8, Volodimir Zelensky paid tribute to the Ukrainian soldiers, who have fought for their country for almost a year and a half. He was on the Island of Snakes, a symbol of a Ukrainian reconquest in the conflict.

“I want to thank precisely from here, from this place of victory, each of our soldiers for these 500 days: our armed forces, our intelligence service, our National Guard, our border guards, the Security Service of Ukraine, the National Police, our broadcasters, our people,” Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian president congratulated all the soldiers who have fought for Ukraine, especially those who died in the fighting.

“Grateful to all who fought here against the occupiers. We honor the memory of the heroes who gave their lives in this battle, one of the most important in large-scale warfare. Glory to each and every one who fought for the safety of our Black Sea!” he added.

On the first day of the conflict, February 24, 2022, two Russian warships had taken possession of this island and only last April did Ukraine manage to regain control of the small territory after two of its missiles hit Moskva, the largest Russian warship sunk in combat in 40 years. According to experts, about half of the crew (about 450 people) died at sea.

At the time, Russia described its withdrawal from the island as “good will”, while for Ukraine it was the greatest victory for their country.

“Although it is a small piece of land in the middle of our Black Sea, it is great proof that Ukraine will recover every part of its territory,” Zelensky was quoted as saying by the Unian news agency.

Fighting in the east and south of the country

Moscow thought it could take control of kyiv in a few days, but the Ukrainian resistance has fought for 500 days, between fighting and offensives. The front line is particularly active in the east and south of the country.

The latest news is the unexpected alliance with Bulgaria focused on the supply of ammunition. The importance of the supply of projectiles produced in Bulgaria was revealed last January, when it became known that the government of former pro-European Prime Minister Kiril Petrov had secretly supplied 30% of the Soviet ammunition and 40% of the fuel used by Kiev in the first three months of the war.

Both Zelenski and the new Bulgarian Prime Minister, Nikolai Denkov, avoided giving details on Thursday about new shipments of Bulgarian military aid to Ukraine, but announced their willingness to redouble these exchanges.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield on Saturday, at least eight people were killed and thirteen wounded in a Russian shelling attack on the town of Lyman in eastern Ukraine, as confirmed by the Ukrainian Interior Ministry. The area was recaptured by kyiv in October, but Russian offensives were reported there this week.

On the other hand, according to the UK Ministry of Defense, Bakhmut has continued to be the target of particularly intense fighting in the last week. Ukraine reportedly made gains in the Donetsk region and “it is highly likely that the Russian defenders are fighting with low morale, a mix of disparate units, and limited ability to find and engage Ukrainian artillery.”

The Ukrainian counteroffensive started a month ago and is now concentrating on trying to gain ground in the south of the city of Zaporizhia, in the Donetsk region, and east of Izium. Since the start of the operation, the Ukrainian army has recaptured more than 158 km² in the south, according to kyiv.

Western support continues

After about 1 and a half years of war, Western support and arms supply from them also continues. In recent months, countries have started to deliver high-tech main battle tanks such as Challengers 2 to Ukraine to increase Ukraine’s defensive capability.

The United States is by far the country that has provided the most financial and military aid to Ukraine. According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, the country has provided more than $75 billion in aid to Ukraine, including humanitarian, financial and military support.

On Friday, the Biden administration also confirmed that it will supply Ukraine with cluster munitions to help bolster the Ukrainian offensive, a move that is controversial as it poses a high civilian risk by leaving unexploded small bombs in the territories where they are used.

High human cost

According to the United Nations, more than 9,000 civilians, including 500 children, have been killed since the Russian invasion, although the true number is likely to be much higher. Another factor is that, throughout the conflict, Russia has bombed civilian areas, multiplying war crimes.

“Today marks another grim milestone in the war, which continues to exact a horrible toll on Ukrainian civilians,” Noel Calhoun, deputy head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, said in a statement on Friday.

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), some 11.3 million Ukrainians have been displaced since the start of the conflict, 5 million of them within the country and 6.3 million abroad.

According to the UNHCR representative in Ukraine, Karolina Lindholm Billing, Ukrainians who have fled want to be able to return to their homes at the end of the war.

On the other hand, “displaced Ukrainians also express a strong desire to recover from trauma, find housing, work and integrate socially into the communities in which they currently live, and not sit idly by with their lives on hold,” he said. Lindholm Billing.

With EFE, Reuters and AP