Kyiv [Ukraine], August 25: As Ukraine marked its Independence Day on Thursday, Kiev said its troops landed in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014 and which Ukraine says it is committed to retaking.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky marked the 32nd anniversary of Ukrainian independence by appealing for unity in the face of Russia's full-scale invasion, which began exactly 18 months ago.
In a video message Zelensky thanked soldiers, armament workers, electricians, journalists, deminers, teachers, doctors and athletes for their efforts and recalled the sacrifices made.
"Everyone who works and gives work to others is important," he said. All those who pay taxes helped support the armed forces and ensure "future victory," Zelensky said.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also paid tribute to Ukraine's fight against what Scholz called "Russia's brutal aggression" in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Baerbock praised Ukrainians' "irrepressible will to live in peace" and said that every day of the war "is one day too many." Ukrainians and Germans took to the streets of Berlin on Thursday to mark the anniversary.
In the US, leaders commemorated the day by slapping sanctions and visa restrictions on Russian officials involved in the apparent abduction of Ukrainian children, which the International Criminal Court in the Hague is investigating.
"Children are the most innocent victims of war: we have not forgotten Ukraine's children," Washington said in an official statement.
The sanctions freeze the assets of any affected individuals residing in the United States, as well as preventing them from doing business in the US. In some cases, visa restrictions were also imposed. Ukraine's Independence Day commemorates the declaration of independence from the Soviet Union adopted on August 24, 1991.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) explained that the landing in Crimea was carried out "as part of a special operation." "All tasks were fulfilled," said Andrey Yusov, a spokesman for the agency.
Russian media reported the attack took place at Cape Tarkhankut, in the far west of Crimea, and that the Ukrainian forces had been repelled. According to the Russian news outlets Mash and Shot the Ukrainians landed in rubber boats near a campsite.
Source: Qatar Tribune