Grief, Anger, And Pride As Ukraine Marks Third Anniversary Of Russia's Full-Scale Invasion

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping said they are "true friends" who "support each other" during a phone call held on the anniversary of the war in Ukraine.

According to a Kremlin readout of the call, Putin informed his Chinese counterpart about the recent U.S.-Russia discussions in Saudi Arabia and Xi reaffirmed his support for dialogue between Moscow and Washington. He added that Beijing is open to helping to resolve the war.

Following the talks in Riyadh last week, China also publicly said it backed dialogue between Russia and the United States.

Despite that public backing, analysts and former officials told RFE/RL that the prospect of a reset between the two powers is also making Beijing "nervous" about having less leverage over Moscow, which has become increasingly dependent on China economically since the war in Ukraine began.

Accurate estimates of the toll -- dead and wounded -- from Russia’s three-year onslaught on Ukraine are hard to come by.

Overall, on both sides, the number exceeds 1 million.

For Ukraine, at least 46,000 soldiers have been killed and around 380,000 wounded, according to figures cited by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this month. That figure is considered by experts to be an undercount

For Russia, Western official estimates – from the Pentagon or Britain’s defense ministry – put the tally at more than 700,000.

Outside analysts – for example, the International Institute for Strategic Studies – have calculated that at least 172,000 Russian soldiers have been killed and 611,000 wounded, more than half of whom were severely wounded and will be unable to fight again.

News organizations, including RFE/RL’s Tatar-Bashkir Service, have sought to build a reliable tally looking at public sources: things like obituaries, social media posts, and even legal notices of insurance payouts or inheritance transfers.

The joint effort by the BBC’s Russian Service and the news outlet Mediazona has confirmed more than 90,000 killed Russian soldiers.

Mediazona teamed up another Russian-language news outlet, Meduza, to release an updated Russian military death toll as of February 24: more than 165,000.

Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna has said that an agreement giving the United States access to her country's rare earth minerals is nearly ready.

"The negotiations have been very constructive, with nearly all key details finalized," she wrote on social media today.

Her post follows comments by U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz on CNN yesterday, saying a deal could be signed this week.

Zelenskyy said yesterday that a deal would require U.S. security guarantees. Stefanishyna did not refer to this.

“We stand and we will stand with you side by side and shoulder to shoulder in the war, in the future peace negotiations, in the reconstruction and as a member state of the European Union,” European Council President Antonio Costa said in Kyiv.

“Only Ukraine can decide when conditions are met to start a peace negotiation. Peace cannot be a simple ceasefire, it needs to be a durable agreement, peace should not reward the aggressor.”

In an interview with Current Time, Mykhaylo Podolyak, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's top adviser, reacted to the U.S. resolution at the UN -- to be discussed later today -- that does not call Russia the aggressor in the war.

"Russia is, without a doubt, the aggressor. The initiator of aggression is only Russia. The aggression was not provoked by Ukraine," he said.

"It's easy to see that no one in Russia planned for the war to last three years. They were counting that it would be a lot quicker to get effective control of the entire territory of Ukraine," Podolyak added.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced his country's transfer of the first $5 billion in frozen Russian assets to Ukraine.

He also added that Canada would also transfer 25 LAV II infantry fighting vehicles, four F-16 flight simulators and landing systems, and ammunition. Trudeau is in Kyiv for events marking today's anniversary.

More of your questions for Rostyslav Khotin, a senior editor in RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, to answer.

How would Ukraine feel about accepting German troops on its territory to aid its defence?

I believe there would be no problems for Ukrainians if Germany decided to send a contingent for a military mission in Ukraine. Yes, the memory of the Second World War exists, but Ukrainians look at modern Germany as a partner and ally.

The problem of the possible presence of German troops wold be for Russia (it is generally against any Western troops in Ukraine). And it will also be a difficult psychological choice for Germany itself. But if Ukrainians drive German Leopard tanks, then what is the problem with German soldiers - together with British, French, and others?

Timofei Morozov, a Russian living in Kazakhstan’s commercial capital, Almaty, decided to mark the third anniversary of the Russian invasion by showing solidarity with Ukraine.

He drew up a sign, in blue and yellow -- the colors of the Ukrainian flag -- with the words “Ukraine will be victorious. Russia will be free." He stood on a square in central Almaty.

In a brief interview, Morozov, who said he moved to Kazakhstan last year, said he felt obliged to stage the protest.

"I demand a just world for Ukraine, and that can happen only if Ukraine receives all its [occupied] territories back and receives reliable security guarantees."

He stood with his sign for about 20 minutes before police approached him and warned him to stop. A third officer then ordered him to a police precinct station.