Zelenskyy says Putin has ‘not broken’ Ukrainians as he marks 4 years since Russia’s all-out invasion

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy Defiant as War with Russia Enters Fifth Year

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy marked the somber four-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion with a defiant message, declaring that Moscow has neither “broken Ukrainians” nor achieved victory in its war against the country.

“Looking back at the beginning of the invasion and reflecting on today, we have every right to say: We have defended our independence, we have not lost our statehood,” Zelenskyy stated on social media. “He has not broken Ukrainians; he has not won this war,” he added, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In a show of solidarity, more than a dozen senior European officials traveled to Kyiv for anniversary commemorations. The conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced millions of Ukrainians, and created widespread instability beyond Ukraine’s borders.

Despite Ukraine’s resilience, the human toll remains staggering. Russia now controls nearly 20% of Ukrainian territory, though the Institute for the Study of War reports Russian forces captured just 0.79% of additional Ukrainian land over the past year. Meanwhile, Russian aerial attacks have devastated civilian infrastructure, frequently leaving residents without power and running water.

While Ukraine has increasingly deployed long-range drones to strike targets deep inside Russia—including oil refineries and military logistics hubs up to 600 miles from the border—Putin made no direct mention of the war’s anniversary during a meeting with Russian security officials. Instead, he highlighted what he described as growing threats from Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil.

As the conflict grinds on, diplomatic efforts to secure peace remain stalled. Key sticking points include the fate of the largely Russian-occupied Donbas region in eastern Ukraine and the framework for postwar security arrangements that Kyiv demands to prevent future Russian aggression.

The United Nations General Assembly recently called for an immediate ceasefire and comprehensive peace in Ukraine, voting 107-12 to approve a resolution that emphasized Ukraine’s territorial integrity—language the United States opposed as potentially distracting from peace talks.

During a visit to a memorial in Kyiv’s central square displaying thousands of portraits of fallen soldiers, Zelenskyy invited former U.S. President Donald Trump to witness Ukrainian suffering firsthand. “Only then can one truly understand what this war is really about,” he said. When asked how four years of war had changed him personally, Zelenskyy replied soberly, “I don’t have time for friends or friendships.”

The human cost of the conflict continues to mount alarmingly. A recent report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates that by spring, the combined number of soldiers killed, injured, or missing on both sides could reach 2 million—with Russia suffering the largest number of military deaths for any major power in any conflict since World War II.

European leaders view Ukraine’s struggle as directly connected to their own security concerns. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wrote on social media platform X that “for four years, every day and every night has been a nightmare for the Ukrainians—and not just for them, but for us all. Because war is back in Europe.”

Western officials believe Putin is banking on time being on Russia’s side, hoping that Western support will eventually wane and Ukraine’s resistance will crumble. However, French President Emmanuel Macron characterized the war as “a triple failure for Russia: military, economic, and strategic,” noting that the conflict “has strengthened NATO—the very expansion Russia sought to prevent.”

While NATO countries continue providing aid to Ukraine, Russia has secured support from North Korea, which has sent troops and artillery; Iran, which has provided drone technology; and China, which is reportedly supplying machine tools and semiconductor chips.

The financial burden of reconstruction looms large. According to a joint report from the World Bank, European Commission, UN, and Ukrainian government, rebuilding Ukraine would cost approximately $588 billion over the next decade—nearly three times Ukraine’s estimated GDP for last year.

British Armed Forces Minister Al Carns described Russia’s war on Ukraine as “the most defining conflict” in decades, highlighting the “revolution in military affairs” it has sparked, particularly in drone technology, which now causes the majority of battlefield casualties.

As the conflict enters its fifth year, the International Institute for Strategic Studies notes that both sides face challenges in maintaining troop levels and are increasingly relying on unmanned aerial systems. The think tank emphasized that “decisions taken in foreign capitals will play an important role in shaping the war’s trajectory” as both sides depend heavily on external support.