LONDON — <\/span>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy marked the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country on Tuesday, telling compatriots in a statement, “We have defended our independence, we have not lost our statehood.”<\/p>\n The fifth year of Russia’s war — the full-scale portion of which began in 2022 building on its 2014 invasions of Crimea and the eastern Donbas region — begins with tortuous U.S.-led peace talks ongoing, but a settlement seemingly still far away.\u00a0<\/p>\n Meanwhile, fierce fighting all along the 750-mile front and long-range attacks continue unabated.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, Ukraine’s air force said Russia had launched 133 drones and one ballistic missile into the country overnight, of which 111 drones were shot down or suppressed. The missile and 19 drones impacted across 16 locations, the air force said.<\/p>\n Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the audience during a session at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on Feb. 14, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Michael Probst\/AP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces downed at least 97 Ukrainian drones overnight.<\/p>\n In his statement, Zelenskyy lauded the resolve and bravery of the Ukrainian people, recalling his initial reaction to Russia’s full-scale invasion in the early hours of Feb. 24, 2022. His video statement also included footage of the bunker from which he worked at the beginning of the war.<\/p>\n “Our people did not raise a white flag — they defended the blue and yellow one. And the occupiers, who thought they would be met here with crowds waving flowers, saw lines at the recruitment centers instead,” the Ukrainian president said.<\/p>\n Zelenskyy ran through a timeline of the war to date, touching on Ukraine’s most famous battlefield victories and noting a litany of alleged Russian war crimes. He assured citizens, “We will do more, because Russia does not stop, unfortunately, and wages war by every method — against peace, against us, against people.”<\/p>\n “Putin understands he is not capable of defeating Ukraine on the battlefield, and the ‘second army in the world’ is fighting against apartment buildings and power plants,” he added.<\/p>\n![\"Ache\"](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/4f9cbb99-f00c-4800-832e-cd64a9e768d6\/Zelenskyy-MSC-260224_1771921673895_hpMain.jpg?w=375 "\\"Ache\\"")
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