February 24, 2024 - Russia-Ukraine news

On the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Saturday, a group of women held a rally on Kyiv’s Sofiivska square to draw attention to call for the release of Ukrainian POWs – in particular, the soldiers who held out in Mariupol’s Azovstal factory under relentless Russian bombardment until their surrender in May 2022. 

CNN spoke with some of them.

Kira, 30, originally from Kherson

Yana, 28, from Kyiv

Vladyslava, 35, from Kremenchuk, Poltava region

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has marked the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion by saying his country "will succeed."

Foreign leaders have been arriving in Ukraine to show solidarity on the anniversary. As the war enters its third year, the future of the conflict remains uncertain.

Below are the latest developments:

The Ukrainian presidential office released video on Saturday of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau laying flowers at the Wall of Memory at St. Michael’s Square in Kyiv, to mark the second anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Western leaders also met Zelensky at the Hostomel airport, which had been seized by Russian helicopter-borne troops in the early hours of the invasion and the scene of fierce fighting. Russian troops abandoned the airport during their withdrawal from around Kyiv.

The Western show of solidarity with Kyiv comes amid concerns about waning support for Ukraine and the stalling in the US Congress of an aid package for Ukraine. 

Russian forces struck targets across Ukraine overnight using missiles and drones, the Ukrainian military said in a statement on Saturday.

During the salvo, Ukrainian forces shot down two X-59 guided missiles and 12 drones flying over the Kirovohrad, Odesa and Mykolaiv regions.

One person was killed after a residential building was struck in Odesa, Ukrainian national police said. Three people were taken to the hospital, while one was rescued from the rubble.

In a separate statement, Mykola Oleshchuk, the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, expressed gratitude to troops for their "excellent combat work” during the attacks.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the battlefield situation in Ukraine “remains extremely serious,” but underscored the commitment of allies to continue delivery of weapons and economic support for Kyiv in comments marking two years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

A counteroffensive last summer by Ukrainian forces stalled and Russian forces this month captured the eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka and have gone on the attack at several points along the front lines.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba recently told CNN that Avdiivka would not have been fallen if Ukraine “had received all the artillery ammunition that we needed to defend it,” particularly amid a hold-up of critical aid to Ukraine in the US Congress.

Stoltenberg said Putin had miscalculated in his aim to keep Ukraine out of NATO, saying the Kremlin leader “has achieved the exact opposite: Ukraine is now closer to NATO than ever before ... Ukraine will join NATO. It is not a question of IF, but of WHEN.” 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has insisted that Ukraine will succeed and urged his countrymen to remain hopeful of victory during in a speech marking the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion.

The Ukrainian president went on to encourage his fellow countrymen by reminding them of what has been achieved over the past two years. 

Zelensky praised his nation for surviving the beginning of the war and even thriving against all odds. 

“A nation that survived the first three days. And did not fall on the fourth. And won on the fifth day. And then a month. And then - six months. And now - two years,” Zelensky said.   

Russian forces claim that they have captured “some 200” Ukrainian troops during the fight for Avdiivka, the country’s defense ministry (MOD) said Saturday.

Russian Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu, who visited Russia’s Center military grouping of troops in the “special operation zone” on Saturday, emphasized on the humane treatment of the captured troops from the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU).

“You heard what the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces said – to treat them humanely, as it has always been," Shoigu said as per the MOD.

Russia advances: Hours after Russian troops raised their flags over Avdiivka, reports emerged of several injured soldiers who failed to escape – and were later killed as Russian troops reached their position.

Avdiivka has been on the front lines since pro-Moscow separatists seized large portions of the Donbas region, including the nearby city of Donetsk, in 2014.

The town is Russia's most significant victory since it captured Bakhmut last year.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko called for continued US support as Ukraine enters the third year of war against the Russian invasion.

Thanking the US for its financial and military support, Klitschko said that while the country is better protected than before receiving the anti-missile system from the US, “we still need much more protection” because “no one feels safe in Ukraine.”

Kyiv citizens, including children, have suffered over the past two years of war, Klitschko said and alleged that Russia stands in clear violation of the rules of warfare that call for sparing civilian women and children.

Remember: A constant drip feed of aid from Western countries, particularly the US, as well as the provision of modern weaponry, has proved a vital lifeline for Ukraine in its war.

But in early 2024, a US aid package for Ukraine stalled. The US Senate passed with bipartisan backing a $95.3 billion foreign aid bill, which includes $60 billion to support Ukraine. However, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has resisted moves for a quick vote, which would likely face a revolt from members of his own party.

Ukraine’s army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Saturday that “no one in the world believed that we would stand” in an emotional post marking the second anniversary of Russian’s war on Ukraine.

In the post, Syrskyi reiterated his praise for the thousands of Ukrainians who volunteered to help the military, many taking up weapons and serving in the frontlines.  

Syrskyi also paid tribute to those who lost their lives for Ukraine, vowing to “take revenge” and commended volunteers working closely with the emergency services for their work in bringing “victory closer.”

“Today, more than ever, we need unity. I am convinced that unity is our victory. And it will definitely be. Because light always defeats darkness!” Syrskyi added.

Russia’s war in Ukraine has so far cost the lives of over 10,300 civilians, according to the United Nations.