'Fear, love, hope': Ukrainians reflect on Russian invasion as world marks anniversary

I can sum up the last year in three words: Fear, love, hope,” said Oleksandr Hranyk, a school director in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city

Olha Kosianchuk, 64, cries during a memorial service to mark the one-year anniversary of the start of the Russia Ukraine war, in Bucha, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 24, 2023. Olha’s husband was killed during the occupation of Bucha by Russian troops during the first weeks of the war (Emilio Morenatti/AP/PA)

The anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a sombre day for many of the country’s 43 million people.

Ukrainians described the anniversary as both terrible and inspiring for them because Ukraine has defied expectations that it might quickly fall to Moscow’s invasion forces.