Four years was the duration of the fight against the Nazis in which Ukraine under German occupation lost 10 million of its people. Four years ago today marks the anniversary of the start of what Vladimir Putin dubbed a “Special Military Operation”, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. By the end of 2022, Ukraine had liberated around half the land seized by Russia during the initial stage of the invasion. The most recent round of talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States in Geneva concluded recently without a breakthrough. And the outrageous attempt by Hungary to block both a €90 billion EU loan and another round of sanctions against Russia is deeply regrettable.

Source: The Irish Times February 24, 2026 02:36 UTC