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Ukraine, one year on: Exhausted but not broken

By Valérie Gauriat, Euronews International Affairs Correspondent

Hello and welcome to the Briefing.

Today we bring you a special edition marking an anniversary that none of us had any desire to mark: one year since Russia launched the invasion of Ukraine. We have spent the last twelve months closely following each and every development in this ruthless war and, truth be told, we still have no idea of when or how it will all end. We now pass the floor to our correspondent Valérie Gauriat, who recently travelled to Ukraine to witness the enduring willpower of a nation under attack.

As I stood in the snow on Maidan square, right where I was one year ago on the very first day of Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine, the sight of traffic and passers-by stopping at reopened coffee shops was somehow comforting in comparison to the doom that had fallen upon Kyiv on the 24th of February 2022.

But the shriek of air raid sirens was still there to embody the stark reality of the war. So were the battered buildings in the nearby towns of Irpin, Bucha, or Borodyanka, symbols of resistance to the Russian troops who were defeated in the grueling battle of Kyiv.

Everywhere, reconstruction is underway. In what was one of the most ravaged streets of Bucha, the scene of a massacre, brand new houses have now risen from the rubble.

This was one of the signs of the persistent resilience of the Ukrainian people that had struck me on my two previous trips to the war-torn country.

Persistent also is the solidarity of Ukrainians towards those who have lost everything. I saw first-hand the work and good humour of the young volunteers from the “Brave to Rebuild” NGO, who were busy clearing the debris from Tetiana’s family property in Gorenka.

“It brought me back from another world,” Tetiana tells me, confident that her home will be reborn from the ashes.

Thousands of people, however, are still displaced from their ruined homes. Here and there, temporary “modular villages” have been set up to shelter all those who are yet to find a place to live.

Tamara’s emotion is contagious, as volunteers who came to deliver food to the shelter surprised her with a bouquet of red roses to celebrate her birthday.

“A year ago we were sitting around a table, there was music, we shared pleasant memories. Now there is nothing to commemorate”, she tells me. Her voice sinks as she adds: “We are just waiting for victory. We know it will happen. But we hope it happens soon because we can't take it anymore.”

More often than not, sadness quickly gives way to the beaming determination I found among many of those I met in Ukraine.

I was swept away by the energy flowing from Natalya. She used to sew women’s clothes in Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, close to the Russian border. The failed Russian assault on the region has left deep scars. But Natalya is undeterred: she and her team now make garments and equipment for the Ukrainian army.

“We are not here waiting for victory, we are working to make it happen as soon as possible,” she says, her eyes glowing with pride.

“I have a three-year-old grandson,” Natalya adds, with tears in her eyes. “I want him to grow up in a free Ukraine.”

Once outside, after leaving the warmth of an improvised meal with Natalia and her team, my crew and I are gripped by the biting cold that has taken over the city.

Even more griping is a busker’s interpretation of “Choven,” a song written in 2019 by Okean Elzy, a well-known band in Ukraine. “Exhausted by wars, but not broken by anyone, may my land blossom!” the busker sings.

A refrain that has followed me all the way back home and to the editing room in France. A haunting memory of a nation’s grief and untiring resolve that will echo in my mind for long.

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Watch the trailer of Valérie’s special Euronews Witness episode, which will be available in full on this page after 21:00 CET tonight.

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ONE YEAR OF WAR

THE OTHER SIDE Ahead of the one-year anniversary of the war himself instigated, Vladimir Putin delivered a two-hour-long speech in which he aired his personal grievances against the West, shared his revisionist take on modern history and, most importantly, suspended his country’s participation in a major nuclear treaty. Given the litany of outlandish claims Putin made, our team from The Cube went ahead and conducted the necessary fact-check.

IDENTITY WAR The invasion of Ukraine is an “identity war,” says Bulgarian political scientist Ivan Krastev. "(Putin) invaded Ukraine with the idea that the Russians and the Ukrainians are the same people,” Krastev told us in a wide-ranging interview. “And Ukrainians are resisting to tell him that the Ukrainians and the Russians are not the same people.”

‘GIVE US WINGS’ In the early weeks of the war, Ukrainians were pleading with NATO to impose a no-fly zone and “protect our skies.” One year later, the chant evolved into “give us wings,” a reference to the fighter jets that Kyiv would like to get. So far, the West remains visibly hesitant about the petition, fearing the war could spiral beyond Ukraine’s own borders. As the political debate drags on, Lauren Chadwick breaks down the pros and cons of supplying military aircraft.

FRESH MONEY Kyiv is pushing for a fresh $15-billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to plug its ballooning budget deficit. While the IMF examines the request, Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva spoke with Euronews and praised the country’s economic resilience as “astonishing.” But she warned EU accession would take a “long time.” Read the interview.

CRIME SCENE The question of accountability has been high on the agenda since the first day of the war, with growing calls for a special tribunal to prosecute war crimes. Although the initiative has garnered international support, it is yet to yield any concrete results. What's more, some experts warn setting up a court for crimes of aggression could make the West vulnerable, Isabel da Silva reports.

START OVER Around four million of Ukrainian refugees have been resettled across the EU under a special asylum programme. Although most of them were warmly received by their European hosts, they are still struggling to adapt to their new lives away from home. In Portugal, there are growing concerns about the lack of Ukrainian children in local schools. And in the Czech Republic, depression has emerged as a common affliction among refugees.

BOLD CHOICES Activating the Temporary Protection Directive for the very first time in order to welcome millions of Ukrainian refugees was one of the history-making decisions the bloc took in response to Russia’s unprovoked act of aggression. From weapons to enlargement, Jorge Liboreiro compiles the five major taboos the EU dared to break in one year of war.

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WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

POWER SAVINGS European consumers and companies have shown their true resolve to cushion the worst effects of the energy crisis: gas consumption across the EU dropped by a stunning 19.3% rate between August and January, comfortably overshooting the bloc’s 15% voluntary target.

APP BAN The European Commission has banned the use of TikTok on the phone devices used by its 32,000-strong staff, citing cybersecurity concerns. The app, whose parent company is China-based, is under intense scrutiny from legislators on both sides of the Ocean. (Background story here)

NEW RULES As a result of the social transformation unleashed by COVID-19 pandemic, many countries have tried to implement four-day working weeks, believing it could be the future of productivity. Euronews Next takes a look at how the labour experiment is going.

MOTHER TONGUE Parlez-vous français? O prefiere hablar español? Whatever your choice, it is clear that Europeans have a flair for speaking more than one language. But the know-how is not evenly distributed. Euronews Culture reveals which countries are the greatest (and worst) polyglots.

IN PICTURES Unusually warm temperatures, low rain and scarce snow have put many parts of Europe at risk of drought – in the middle of winter. These pictures speak for themselves.

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IT'S IN THE NUMBERS

The European Union, Norway and Switzerland received 966,000 asylum requests over the course of last year, a rise of more than 50% compared to 2021. Syrians, Afghans and Turks were the largest groups by nationality. In total, the bloc issued 147,000 decisions granting refugee status and another 106,000 granting subsidiary protection, which means a huge share of asylum-seekers, such as those from India, Moldova and Morocco, were rejected.

EDITOR'S CHOICE

State surveillance and costly lawsuits: The lonely fight for press freedom of Greece’s independent media

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A new ecosystem of small, independent organisations is bringing a breath of transparent, in-depth reporting into the Greek media landscape but their work is being hindered by an increasingly hostile environment across the country. Costly court cases, controversial law changes, intimidation and the threat of state surveillance are making journalism a dangerous job. This all came to light when Greece was ranked 108th out of 180 countries in the 2022 Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders – the worst-performing European country. The ranking triggered a furious response by authorities, with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis calling it “crap” and adding: “We have a vibrant press, you can read everything you want in Greece.” But this rosy view is not shared by reports and editors on the ground, who complain about persistent obstacles in their day-to-day activities. In a revealing story, Alessio Giussani recounts the lonely fight for press freedom in Greece.

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Dozens of red balloons were released over the rubble of a destroyed building in Antakya, one of the Turkish cities worst hit by the earthquakes.

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