(L to R) Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Italy Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen, and Belgium Prime Minister Alexander De Croo at Hostomel Airport near Kyiv to mark the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion (Benoit Doppagne/Belga/Sipa USA)

EA on Australia’s ABC: Putin Lashes Out at Home and in Ukraine

Saturday’s Coverage: Kyiv Downs Another Russian Command Warplane

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1807 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed during Russia’s invasion.

Speaking at the Ukraine: Year 2024 conference, Zelenskiy said he could not disclose the number of wounded because it would help Russian military planning.

31,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed in this war. Not 300,000, not 150,000….Putin is lying there….But nevertheless, this is a big loss for us.

Zelenskiy acknowledged, “Now is the most difficult moment for our unity, and if we all fall apart, from the outside and God forbid inside, then this will be the weakest moment. It has not happened yet.”

But he said that Ukraine is prepared for any further Russian offensive this spring — “their assault that began on 8 October has not brought any results, I think” — and that Kyiv has a clear plan for its own counter-offensive this year.

UPDATE 1042 GMT:

Residents carried out demonstrations in Russian cities on the second anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

At least 52 people were detained, reported the human rights organization OVD-Info. Fifteen were seized in Moscow, 10 in Yekaterinburg, and five in Ufa.

The Moscow arrests included journalists covering the weekly protests outside the Kremlin by wives of mobilized soldiers fighting in Ukraine.

UPDATE 1021 GMT:

Canada and Ukraine have completed a bilateral security pact.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau signed the agreement in Kyiv on Saturday.

Canada joins Italy, the UK, Germany, France, and Denmark in the 10-year security deals.

UPDATE 1013 GMT:

Ukraine’s air defenses downed 16 of 18 Iran-made drones fired by Russia overnight.

The UAVs were intercepted above the Poltava, Kyiv, Khmelnytskyi, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions.

In the Mykolaiv region in southern Ukraine, debris from a downed drone damaged a power line, cutting off power in five settlements.

The Russians also attacked with Kh-31P missiles, launched from warplanes over the Black Sea. All were shot down before they crossed the coastline.

However, an S-300 missiles damaged the railway station, a church, and other buildings in Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukrainians have commemorated two years of resistance against Russia’s invasion, occupation, and mass killings.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy summarized in a recorded speech from Hostomel Airport, where Ukrainian defenders held off Russian special forces seeking to seize the capital and remove the Government on the first night of the invasion.

Today, unfortunately, each of us has someone to keep a moment of silence and honor the memory of the fallen. Together we bow our heads. 730 days of pain. But at the same time, 730 days of hope.

Zelenskiy was joined at the airfield by Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Italy Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen, and Belgium Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.

Von der Leyen pledged:

Ukraine commander-in-chief Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi updated Zelenskiy’s reaction on the night of the invasion, “I don’t need a ride [out of Kyiv]. I need ammunition.”

No one believed, but Ukraine believed. Believed, took up the fight, and stood firm. Between weapons and evacuation, we chose weapons.

Zelenskiy to G7: “We Count on You”

In a video conference with the leaders of the G7 — Canada, Italy, France, Germany, Japan, the US, and the UK — Zelenskiy thanked them and emphasized Kyiv’s reliance on their support.

You know very well all we need to keep our sky protected, to strengthen our military on land. And you know all we need to sustain and continue our success in the sea. And you know perfectly well that we need all this in time, and we count on you.

He explained that victory over Russia would not only mean the survival of Ukraine but of the global community and international law: “Please remember that imperial ambitions and revanchism can be defeated only together with those infected by them and this is what opens the space for true security and the development of democracy.”

The G7 leaders said they remained committed to supporting Ukraine for “as long as it takes”, even with Trumpists and hard-right Republicans in the US House blocking $60.1 billion in assistance.

The leaders called out Russian President Vladimir Putin for “forcing his own people to pay a heavy price for his government’s reckless actions”.

The group committed itself to the price ceiling on Russian oil and the limiting of Moscow’s energy revenues; the freezing of assets until Russia compensates Ukraine for damage; the tightening of sanctions on Russian and third-country companies; and support of the Ukraine Peace Formula.