Russia-Ukraine updates: Putin says war was ‘unleashed’ on Russia
The Russian president delivered his annual Victory Day speech.
More than a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, the countries are fighting for control of areas in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's forces are readying a spring counteroffensive, but Putin appears to be preparing for a long and bloody war.
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Ukraine's 'rightful place' is in NATO: Secretary-General
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg held a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, to highlight the more than €150 billion of support to Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion.
"Allies are now delivering more jets, tanks, and armored vehicles, and NATO's Ukraine fund is providing urgent support," he said in a statement. "All of this is making a real difference on the battlefield today."
While in Ukraine, the secretary-general visited Bucha and paid his respects to the victims of Russian atrocities.
He also laid a wreath at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine, paying tribute to all those who have lost lives or suffered wounds in defense of their homeland.
"Ukraine’s rightful place is in the Euro-Atlantic family. Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO. And over time, our support will help to make this possible," Stoltenberg said.
-ABC News' Will Gretsky
Putin fires commander of the Russian Pacific Fleet
Just a week after the Pacific Fleet was ordered to stage surprise combat drills, Russian President Vladimir Putin fired the commander of the Russian Pacific Fleet, Sergei Avakyants.
Earlier, Putin praised the Pacific Fleet maneuvers and said that the Navy could be used "for the resolution of conflicts anywhere."
"He turned 65 on April 6. He is still on the Russian Defense Ministry's staff. With the consent of the Russian Defense Ministry, he will head a central body overseeing military sports and patriotic education centers, created on the orders of the [president]," the press service said.
-ABC News' Will Gretsky
Russian athletes will not be accepted in 2024 Olympics if war goes on: Paris mayor
Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, which is hosting the 2024 summer Olympics, told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Russian athletes "cannot be accepted in Paris," if the war with Ukraine is still ongoing when the games begin.
"Paris is the capital of human rights," Hidalgo said in a statement. "We are trying to convince athletes, international federations and countries. We stand with you."
Hidalgo and Vasco Cordeiro, the president of the European Committee of the Regions, met with Zelenskyy as part of the International Summit of Cities and Regions Thursday.
Zelenskyy thanked Hidalgo for her support and presented her with Ukraine's "Rescuer City" honorary award.
-ABC News' Max Uzol and Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.
Russia reportedly fires nearly 80 missiles at Kherson in 24 hours
Russia has fired nearly 80 missiles at Kherson in 24 hours amid ongoing shelling, a local official said.
"For the previous day, we have recorded 79 shellings throughout our territory," First Deputy Chairman of the Kherson Regional Council Yuriy Sobolevskyi said on Telegram earlier Wednesday. "About 300 rounds of ammunition were used by the enemy."
At least two people have sought medical attention due to shelling injuries, according to Sobolevskyi, who noted that the "shelling continues."
-ABC News' Will Gretsky
After a year, is the US strategy to help Ukraine win or force a stalemate?
One year ago, with Ukraine's borders surrounded by what seemed to be a superior military force, many U.S. officials and analysts predicted a swift Russian blitz to Kyiv.
But after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his more than 150,000 arrayed troops across the border, it soon became clear that a dual reassessment was in order: The Russian invaders were less potent than advertised, and the Ukrainians were unexpectedly stubborn and wily in the defense.
Some of the Russian troops weren’t even aware they were on a combat mission until Ukrainian bullets came cracking past them, according to U.S. officials. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces stalled a massive Russian supply convoy through direct attacks and by destroying a key bridge. Only one week into the invasion, Putin's men were plagued with food and fuel shortages, morale running similarly low.
Kyiv stood.
"Putin assumed that Ukraine was an easy target, Putin assumed that Kyiv would easily fall, and Putin assumed that the world would stand by," U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said during a speech in Brussels last week. "But the Kremlin was wrong on every count."
Ukrainian forces were armed with more than grit.
They also had years of U.S. and NATO military training, plus American-made weapons, like anti-armor Javelins and anti-aircraft Stinger missiles. These made Russian vehicles vulnerable to ambush, and left Russian helicopter and jet pilots wary of flying over Ukrainian positions. Indeed, many airmen did not return from their sorties.
Despite astonishing losses of soldiers and vehicles, Putin has shown no inclination to end the conflict anytime soon. And despite its tenacity, Ukraine has also taken significant casualties, and is not able to produce enough of its own weapons and ammunition to keep up the fight.
Ukraine, after thwarting the advance on its capital, and later routing Russian forces from Kharkiv, now largely faces a battle of supply.
"When this war began, Russia had a larger population, a much bigger defense budget, a bigger military, bigger industrial base. So, this became an industrial war and a war of industrial bases," said Seth Jones, director of the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "This is why Western industrial support has been so critical."
A key question now is, despite massive military aid packages and a promise to send even more, could the U.S. strategy ultimately result, not in a Ukrainian victory, but a stalemate in a years-long war of attrition?
-ABC News' Matt Seyler