The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) suggested on Feb. 24 that the Kremlin did not comment on the first anniversary of its full-scale war likely because it “failed to achieve any of its stated objectives and has not made significant territorial gains since July 2022.”
While Russian President Vladimir Putin and his administration made several public appearances over the past few days, there were no statements related to first-year mark of the war.
In contrast, several Western countries addressed the first-year anniversary of Russia's war, and some of them announced aid packages to Ukraine.
For example, the U.S. pledged two aid packages worth a total of $12 billion to Ukraine, as well as imposed additional sanctions on Russia. In a statement on Feb. 24, U.S. President Joe Biden said: "A dictator bent on rebuilding an empire will never erase the people’s love of liberty. Brutality will never grind down the will of the free."
The EU also approved a 10th package of sanctions against Russia over its aggression in Ukraine.
Canada, Germany, and Sweden announced the provision of Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, and Poland said it would send an additional 60 PT-91 Twardy main battle tanks to Ukraine "in the coming days."
