Around the world today, the second anniversary of the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine will be marked with rallies, meetings and exhibitions in support of Ukraine.
Gatherings have been announced in several European cities.
A virtual summit with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in support of his country will be held in Italy, which this year is chairing the Group of the Seven Most Industrially Developed Countries of the World (G7).
Rallies will be held in several cities such as Berlin and Warsaw, and somewhere the gatherings will be in front of Russian embassies.
On the eve of that anniversary, new packages of sanctions against Russia were introduced.
The Council of the European Union introduced the 13th package of restrictive measures against Russia on Friday.
New sanctions “against the regime of Vladimir Putin and those responsible for the continuation of its illegal, unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression and those who support it” were introduced for 106 individuals and 88 entities responsible for undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.
The EU has called for continued support for Ukraine, as the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, is traveling around the world seeking support, especially military support.
In response to European sanctions, Moscow expanded the list of EU politicians it bans from entering Russia.
US President Joseph Biden also announced sanctions against an additional 500 legal and other entities in Russia and elsewhere due to the war in Ukraine and the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in prison.
The second anniversary comes after the recent death of Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny in prison in the Arctic circle. His death caused a wave of gatherings paying tribute to Navalny, as well as dissatisfaction with the Russian authorities.
By all accounts, the prospects for peace between the warring parties are slim at the moment as the two sides are still in sharp conflict.
Kiev wants Moscow to give up all its territorial claims, withdraw its forces from Ukrainian territory and provide financial compensation for the damage caused.
Moscow, on the other hand, insists that Ukraine suspend the law banning negotiations with Russia and wants to return to its neutral, non-aligned and non-nuclear status, as well as to ensure the rights and freedoms of its Russian-speaking citizens.
As of February 24, 2022, the war has claimed the lives of at least 10,582 civilians, including 5,017 men, 3,093 women and 587 children, according to the latest UN figures released this week.
