One-Minute Silence To Be Held In UK To Mark A Year Since Russia Invaded Ukraine

Rishi Sunak will lead the commemoration at 11am on Friday, February 24.
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Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks at a press conference alongside Rishi Sunak in the UK last week.
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The government has announced that a national one-minute silence will be held to mark the first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine.

Rishi Sunak is expected to lead the tribute to the “bravery and resilience” of the Ukrainian people which will be held at 11am on Friday, February 24.

In a statement, the prime minister said: “Russia’s unjustifiable attack brought war and destruction to our continent once again, and it has forced millions from their homes and devastated families across Ukraine and Russia.

“I am incredibly proud of the UK’s response, and throughout this past year, the UK public have shown their true generosity of spirit and their enduring belief in freedom.”

The announcement comes a week after Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise visit to London.

During the trip, the Ukrainian president stepped up his requests that Nato send him jets to help fight off Russian forces.

What Nato allies have on their mind, though, is how to keep up a steady supply of ammunition to Ukraine without depleting their own stockpiles.

According to some estimates, Ukraine is firing up to 6,000-7,000 artillery shells each day, around a third of the daily amount that Russia is using.

Moscow’s forces have been pressing in the east of Ukraine while bolstering their defensive lines in the south.

The war has been largely static during the winter months, though both sides are expected to launch offensives when the weather improves.

The Russians appear short on resources for any major offensive at the moment, the UK Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday.

“Overall, the current operational picture suggests that Russian forces are being given orders to advance in most sectors, but that they have not massed sufficient offensive combat power on any one axis to achieve a decisive effect,” it tweeted.

German defence minister Boris Pistorius said that finding ammunition and air defences is “much more important at the moment than the discussion about fighter jets”.