KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed Western leaders to Kiev on Saturday to mark the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion, as Ukrainian forces run out of ammunition and weapons and foreign aid hangs in the balance.
Zelensky released a video from Hostomel airfield along with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
“Two years ago we encountered enemy landing troops here with fire; Two years later, we meet our friends and partners here,” Zelensky said at the airport just outside Kiev, which Russian paratroopers tried unsuccessfully to occupy in the first days of the war.
The Western leaders arrived shortly after a Russian drone strike hit a residential building in the southern city of Odessa, killing at least one person. Three women also suffered serious burns in the attack on a residential building on Friday evening, regional governor Oleh Kiper wrote on his social media account. Rescue workers combed through the rubble and looked for survivors.
Italy, which holds the rotating chairmanship of the Group of Seven leading economies, said the G7 would meet virtually with Zelensky on Saturday and adopt a joint statement on Ukraine.
“More than ever, we stand firmly with Ukraine. Financially, economically, militarily, morally. Until the country is finally free,” von der Leyen said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
At the front in the eastern Donetsk region, Ukrainian soldiers pleaded for ammunition.
“When the enemy attacks, many of our people die. … We are sitting here with nothing,” said Volodymyr, 27, a senior officer in an artillery battery.
“To protect our infantry … we need a large number of grenades, which we don't have at the moment,” said Oleksandr, 45, an artillery unit commander. The two officers only gave their first names for security reasons.
In a message marking the second anniversary of the war, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, thanked Ukrainian soldiers for their sacrifices and Western allies for their support, saying: “Every projectile, every tank, every armored vehicle saves first and foremost the life of a Ukrainian soldier.”
Earlier this month, Zelensky fired the military's top commander, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, and replaced him with Syrskyi. This marked the most significant shakeup at the top since the full-scale invasion.
Authorities also pointed to successes, including the downing of a Russian early warning and control aircraft on Friday.
If confirmed, it would be the loss of the second such aircraft in just over a month. According to the Ukrainian military, Russia is using the aircraft for targeted missile attacks.
The war has also come to Russia. Drones hit a steel plant in the Lipetsk region of southern Russia on Saturday, causing a major fire, regional governor Igor Artamonov said, adding that there were no injuries. Independent Russian media said the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant is the largest steelworks in Russia. Videos shared on Russian social media showed several fires burning at the facility and an explosion could be heard.
The independent Russian news agency Mediazona said on Saturday that around 75,000 Russian men died in war in 2022 and 2023.
A joint investigation by Mediazona and Meduza, another independent Russian news site, shows that Russia's casualty rate in Ukraine is not slowing down and Moscow is losing about 120 men a day. Based on a statistical analysis of recorded soldier deaths compared with a Russian inheritance database, the journalists said around 83,000 soldiers were likely to have died by Saturday, the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion.
According to Mediazona and Meduza's analysis, Russian regular troops suffered the greatest losses in the first months of the war. But after prisoners were offered their release in exchange for fighting and President Vladimir Putin ordered partial mobilization, these groups began to suffer more casualties, especially in the first months of 2023.
A somber mood prevails in Ukraine as the war against Russia enters its third year and Kiev's troops face growing challenges on the front lines as ammunition supplies dwindle and personnel challenges dwindle. His troops recently withdrew from the strategically important eastern city of Avdiivka, handing Moscow one of its greatest victories.
Russia still controls around a quarter of the country after Ukraine failed to make any major breakthroughs in its summer counteroffensive. Meanwhile, millions of Ukrainians continue to live precariously in the crossfire of battles, and many others face constant fighting under Russian occupation. Most people are waiting for Ukraine to be liberated, but that hasn't happened.
Olena Zelenska, the president's wife, said Saturday that more than two million Ukrainian children have left the country since the war began and that at least 528 have been killed. “The war started by Russia specifically targets children,” she said.
Britain has pledged 8.5 million pounds ($10.8 million) in additional humanitarian aid to Ukraine, boosting efforts to provide medical care, food and basic supplies to residents as the country marks the second anniversary of the Russian commits invasion.
Some 14.6 million people, or 40% of Ukraine's population, need assistance, many of whom are homeless or lack adequate access to food, water and electricity, Britain's Foreign Office said in announcing the aid.
In the US Congress, Republicans have stopped $60 billion in urgently needed military aid to Kiev. The EU recently approved a 50 billion euro (approximately $54 billion) aid package for Ukraine aimed at supporting the Ukrainian economy, despite opposition from Hungary.
President Joe Biden attributed the loss of the defense stronghold of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region to stalled US aid after months of bitter fighting. Since then, fears have been growing that Ukrainian forces will face similar difficulties in other parts of the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line as they come under increasing pressure from Russian attacks.
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Associated Press writer Alex Babenko in Ukraine's Donetsk region contributed to this report.