ondon is hosting a recovery conference for Ukraine on June 21 and 22, pledging to unlock $3 billion (£2.3bn) worth of World Bank loans to help with rebuilding amid the war with Russia.
At the Ukraine Recovery Conference on Wednesday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy’s government is determined to drive reforms to become more open, more transparent, and ready for investment. This is a vibrant, dynamic, creative, European country that refuses to be subdued.
“So, together with our allies we will maintain our support for Ukraine’s defence and for the counter offensive, and we’ll stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes as they continue to win this war.”
He added: “I’m proud that today we’re announcing a multiyear commitment to support Ukraine’s economy, and over the next three years, we will provide loan guarantees worth $3 billion.”
How much land has Ukraine taken back since the war began?
As of November 2022, Ukraine had reclaimed 54 per cent of land captured by Russia according to the New York Times.
Donetsk
Ukrainian officials say they have taken seven settlements in the eastern Donetsk region, according to the BBC.
Zaporizhzhia
Ukraine has reportedly captured Piatykhatky, a village on the western edge of the Zaporizhzhia front, according to a Russian official, as reported by the Guardian.
Kherson
In January, Ukrainian soldiers reclaimed Kherson, which had been under Russian occupation for nearly nine months.
Kharkiv
Ukraine liberated several villages in the Kharkiv region last year, as reported by Reuters, but the Russian military has since launched several attacks that have destroyed infrastructure and resulted in fatalities.
Ukraine War | One Year Anniversary - pictures
What territories has Russia taken control of since the war began?
Russia has taken control of much of the south-eastern border of Ukraine since the invasion over one year ago, in an attempt to full occupy the Donbas region and surrounding areas.
In October 2022, Russia signed annexation treaties recognising Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia as part of the Russian Federation, according to the UK Government. However, this was done by means of ’rigged’ referendums and the annexation is not internationally recognised. In addition, those regions are not totally under Russian control, as outlined above.
Mariupol
Russia has held Mariupol since May 2022, as reported by AP.
The United Nations reported that between February and April last year, Mariupol was “likely the deadliest” place in the country.
More than 1,300 people have been killed in the region and more than 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been taken as prisoners of war.
Up to 90 per cent of residential buildings were destroyed, with 350,000 residents forced to flee the city.
In March 2022, Russia bombed the Mariupol drama theatre – an attack that Amnesty International declared a war crime.
Luhansk
Russia declared that it had taken full control of Luhansk in July 2022. However, since then, Ukraine’s forces have regained control of some of the occupied territory. This region, alongside Kherson, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia, was later annexed by Russia, though this remains unrecognised by most other countries.
The Ukrainian government website says that tens of thousands of Luhansk residents are waiting for their hometown, which has effectively been under Russian control since 2014, to be returned to Ukraine.
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