President Biden, who is said to be in the USA, made a surprise visit to the capital of Ukraine, Kiev, four days before the anniversary of the war. AWACS reconnaissance planes took off to protect Biden, who passed from Poland to Kiev by train, and extraordinary measures were taken. “Putin thought the West could not stand it, but he was wrong,” said Biden, who was greeted by Ukrainian leader Zelensky.
US President Joe Biden (80) made a surprise visit to the capital of Ukraine, Kiev, four days before the anniversary of the invasion. The moments when Biden wandered the streets of Kiev were shared on social media with the comments “The so-called city would fall in 3 days”.
WHITE HOME LIED
Biden’s visit to Kiev was kept secret until he was seen walking side by side with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski on the city streets. To clear any doubt, the White House released a public program stating that the President was still in Washington for the duration of the trip. According to the official calendar, Biden was supposed to move from Washington to the Polish capital, Warsaw, long after he showed up in Kiev.
10 HOURS BY TRAIN
A small number of journalists accompanied Biden, who took a small group of personnel with him. However, they were strictly instructed not to reveal where they were going, and their mobile phones were taken from them along the way. According to American officials, Biden secretly went to Poland with the presidential plane, Air Force One, and traveled to Kiev from here, just like other leaders. Since air transportation was seen as risky, a train journey of about 10 hours was preferred.
THE rumour spreads fast
Hours before Biden’s appearance in central Kiev, rumors circulated that a “very important figure” would visit the city. While almost all roads were closed to traffic in Kiev and the extraordinary security measures taken increased the public’s curiosity, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnyk also fed the rumors by saying, “Kiev is preparing for a surprise.” As a matter of fact, the predictions were correct and Biden entered the city square accompanied by a crowded convoy of vehicles.
‘He thought the West was weak’
Leaving a wreath at the monument in Mykhailivska Square, Biden said, “When Putin launched his invasion, he thought that Ukraine was weak and the West was divided. He thought he could outlast us. But he was badly mistaken,” he said. After the visit in the city square, the two leaders went to the Mariinskyi Palace and met. During the visit , The United States also announced an additional $500 million in military aid to Ukraine. Biden, who went to Poland by train at the end of the visit, which lasted about 5 hours, will hold talks here for two days. The US President is expected to make an important speech in Warsaw this evening. It is also on the agenda for Putin to make statements in the context of the occupation.
FIRST REACTION FROM RUSSIA
Crimean deputy Mihail Sheremet showed the first reaction from Russia to Biden’s visit. Sheremet, who served in the Russian parliament Duma, said, “What the US leader is doing is outright provocation. The Russian administration should give the necessary response to this exit of the USA,” he said.
SIREN BALL AWACS AIR
Air raid sirens sounded in the city during the two leaders’ visit to Mykhailivska Square and St. Michael’s Cathedral, which stands out with its golden dome. It was understood that a Russian Mig fighter plane taking off from Belarus triggered the sirens that Ukrainians hear almost every day. Launched from a Mig on the border with Belarus, the missile could hit its target in Kiev in less than 20 minutes. During Biden’s visit, airborne early warning aircraft of the American army, known as AWACS, and tanker aircraft that would feed warplanes in case of an emergency, were constantly in the air at the Ukraine’s Polish border.
BALANCE SHEET FOR THE FIRST YEAR OF OCCUPATION
One year has passed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine launched on February 24 last year. The Russian soldier, who initially launched a swift operation against Kiev and hoped to take control of the country within days, is now trapped in a small area to the east. Moscow had to retreat, unable to hold on even in some of the lands it annexed.
FIRST YEAR: Ukrainian officials are worried that Russia will launch a new and sweeping offensive on the anniversary of the invasion.
THE HOTEST FRONT: Currently, the bloodiest fighting is taking place around the town of Bahmut in the Donetsk region. While the fighting on other fronts slowed down due to heavy winter conditions, Russian forces are trying to repel the Ukrainian forces from here, regardless of the great loss of life. The length of the active front is 1500 km from north to south.
Occupied Territories: Even though it has withdrawn from most of the country it entered, RUSSIA still occupies 78 thousand square kilometers of Ukrainian territory. 97 percent of Lugansk, 60 percent of Donetsk, 75 percent of Zaporozhye and 82 percent of Kherson are occupied. It is stated that Russia occupies about one-fifth of Ukraine, including Crimea and Donbas.
MILITARY LOSS OF LIFE: According to Norway’s estimation, at least 180,000 Russian soldiers and 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers died or were seriously injured in one year, leaving the front line.
LOSS OF CIVIL LIFE: According to Kiev, 20 thousand, according to Western countries 30 to 40 thousand Ukrainian civilians lost their lives.
LOSS OF EQUIPMENT: According to the claim of The Ukrainian army, about 300 Russian planes and 290 helicopters were shot down. The heaviest loss occurred in tanks. More than 3300 Russian tanks and 6500 battleships were destroyed.
WESTERN SUPPORT: Western countries, which did not want to provide long-range missiles and heavy weapons such as tanks to Kiev at the beginning of the occupation, are now sending advanced weapons from Patriot missiles to Leopard tanks to the front.
WAR REFUGEES: About 8 million Ukrainians went abroad and became refugees. At least 5 million of them displaced within the country.
TOTAL MATERIAL DAMAGE: The war caused $138 billion in damage, according to the latest estimate of the Kiev School of Economics. In the last year, 149 thousand residences, 195 thousand cars, 3 thousand educational institutions, 1130 health facilities became unusable.
