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Third anniversary march for Ukraine - 10th March 2025

24th February 2025 marked the third anniversary of Russia's attempted takeover of Ukraine. The ongoing war's seen 4 million people being displaced within Ukraine alone. An additional 6.8 million have fled the country altogether.

Although the majority of refugees have remained in countries which border Ukraine, 110,000 have been offered refuge in Ireland. To mark the anniversary, hundreds from the Ukrainian community have gathered in Dublin. They're there to support friends and families who've remained in Ukraine. Artem Kuraksyn, a student, remembers war breaking out when he was just 15.

Artem Kuraksyn: "Today is 23rd of February. And it's - for me, three years ago, it was the last day of peace. It was last day of peaceful life. And since then, everything has changed. The next day, 24th of February, at 4am - I live in Kharkiv, I lived in Kharkiv, it is a city that borders Russia. We heard explosions and the peaceful life was over."

The march isn't just a chance for refugees to come together, but also a timely opportunity to make their voices heard. As global leaders have also been discussing how to bring about peace,the march organiser's focus is the human destinies at stake. Olha Chekmaieva's a spokesperson for Ukrainian Action in Ireland.

Olha Chekmaieva: "We want to be heard. We want the politicians to remember that behind their decisions right now - the decisions that they, where, where they do not include us as country and as people - that we are still there. That there are people's destinies behind it."

While international negotiations are continuing to take shape, refugees in Ireland have been emphasising how local people have made them feel at home.

Artem Kuraksyn: "I spent a year there, and only in July 2023 I arrived in Ireland. And this country's welcomed me, and it was amazing here. It's welcoming country. They respectful to you, and they understand your struggles."

During the first stages of the invasion, President Putin had expected Russia's troops to occupy the whole of Ukraine in a matter of days. However, following 3 years of fighting and widespread devastation, Russia occupies just 11 percent more Ukrainian land than it had done prior to the war.

And although the total number of Russian military casualties is unknown, the conflict has resulted in 42,000 Ukrainian civilians being killed or injured. For the refugees, it's a day of mixed emotions, as student Anastasia Koslova explains.

Anastasia Koslova: "We all feel sadness today, but in the same time, we are proud for our fighters. We are proud for our fathers, brothers, sisters, mothers, who are try to save our country from the occupation."

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