41 year-old Olesia and her 8 year-old daughter Uliana sits next to the grave of her husband Ihor Marchenko at Lviv cemetery, western Ukraine, on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023. Family members gathered at the military cemetery in Lviv for a “lights of memory” event to honor those who died fighting Russian invasion.
Petros Giannakouris, Associated Press
It’s been one year since Russia invaded Ukraine. The last week marked some key updates and reports on what’s happening in the war.
Here are three of the noteworthy events or reports.
US President Joe Biden, left, walks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at St. Michaels Golden-Domed Cathedral during an unannounced visit, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Feb. 20, 2023.
Evan Vucci, Associated Press
1. President Biden visits Ukraine
President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Ukraine on Monday, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to visit Ukraine since former President George W. Bush visited in 2008, The Wall Street Journal reported.
During the visit, Biden promised an additional $500 million in military aid to Ukraine, according to The New York Times.
“Unchecked aggression is a threat to all of us,” Biden said, per NBC News. “One year later, Kyiv stands and Ukraine stands. Democracy stands, Americans stand with you and the world stands with you.”
2. Nearly 1 in 10 hospitals were damaged by attacks in Ukraine
According to a new analysis reviewed by CNN, “more than 250 attacks during Russia’s invasion last year left nearly one in 10 Ukrainian hospitals damaged.”
The report also revealed that almost 200 medical workers have been killed, injured, kidnapped or arrested since the war began. Medical workers are protected under international human rights law.
With violent attacks leaving many injured and in need of medical care, the damage to the hospitals and harm to medical workers could mean exponential impacts on recovery for Ukrainian people and cities.
“These findings should be a wake-up call for the global community to act now to end impunity for wanton violence against health workers, in Ukraine and around the world,” Christian De Vos, report co-author and research director for Physicians for Human Rights, told CNN.
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, Associated Press
3. At least 6 civilians were killed in bus station attack
A Russian rocket shot into the southern city of Kherson on Tuesday, killing six civilians and wounding 12 others.
In November, Ukraine recaptured Kherson from Russia after it had been occupied by Russia for eight months. It was the only regional capital Russia has captured since the invasion in February 2022. The area was residential and the city has been under constant attack and threat of attack since the war started, Reuters reported.
“Our army, our military intelligence, our security service and other Ukrainian forces will find and destroy those who inflict these cruel strikes on Kherson, on our other towns and regions,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said following the attacks, per Reuters.