KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine on Thursday marked its second Independence Day since Russia’s full-scale invasion, with officers vowing to maintain up their battle to drive out the Kremlin’s forces and native individuals remembering their fallen family members.

The nationwide vacation coincided with the struggle’s 18-month milestone, giving a somber temper to the commemorations.

“We remember everyone who gave their lives for freedom and independence, for the free future of Ukraine,” Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned in a social media publish.

He mentioned that an unbiased Ukraine is “what we are fighting for.”

In the northeastern Kharkiv area, households visited a cemetery the place fallen Ukrainian troopers are buried.

Kateryna Krotchenko, the mom of Serhii Krotchenko who was killed close to Bakhmut, cleaned his grave.

PHOTOS: Ukraine marks Independence Day and vows to maintain combating Russia because it remembers the fallen

“He was an ordinary boy who loved life and dreamed of something,” she instructed The Associated Press. “Therefore, he did not accept the fact that war had come to our land and decided to (sign up) voluntarily,” she mentioned. “We agreed with his decision. We didn’t think it would be like this.”

European Union overseas coverage chief Josep Borrell mentioned Ukraine was combating for “the values we all stand for:” sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.

That battle has earned the help of overseas allies, particularly NATO alliance member international locations which have offered Kyiv with refined new weaponry. The new weapons have allowed Ukraine to launch a grinding counteroffensive.

Ukraine’s protection ministry marked the day with a collection of social media movies that combined gratitude with wry humor to thank these allies individually for his or her help.

The United States’ video was set to Frank Sinatra’s “Our Love is Here to Stay” and ended with a cheeky “thanks for the F-16s” and the phrases “too soon?” The U.S. has agreed its allies can ship Ukraine the fighter jets, however the prolonged course of has been a supply of frustration to Kyiv.

Britain was thanked to the tune of The Clash’s punk basic “London Calling,” whereas Canada acquired gratitude for sniper rifles, howitzers, armored autos - and lengthy underwear. France was despatched a message of affection to the strains of Serge Gainsbourg’s “Je t’aime … moi non plus.”

The greater than 20 clips have been tagged UkraineSaysThankYou - maybe a riposte to British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace’s suggestion final month that Kyiv ought to categorical extra gratitude and never deal with its allies like Amazon’s supply service.

More gloomily, the vacation was noticed in opposition to a backdrop of continued combating.

Ukrainian intelligence models along with the Ukrainian navy landed on the western facet of Russia-occupied Crimea to strike at Russian army belongings there, based on Ukrainian army intelligence spokesman Andrii Yusov.

In Ukraine‘s southern Kherson area, in the meantime, a Russian strike severely injured a 7-year-old lady whose dwelling was hit, Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin mentioned.

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