Jenny Hill
Reporting from Berlin

Demonstrators have placed a burnt-out Russian tank in front of the Russian Embassy in Berlin, its gun pointing at the front entrance.

Thousands of people are expected here later to show solidarity for Ukraine.

The atmosphere is sombre, with people standing quietly staring at the tank.

Image source, Reuters

Thousands of civilians have been killed in the last year of war. The BBC World Service’s Newshour programme have been speaking to the families of three people killed as a result of the conflict. We will publish their stories on this page throughout the day.

33 year-old Yevhen Olefirenko was a history graduate who worked in the hotel business. He volunteered for Kyiv’s territorial defence force on the first day of the war.

“History was his passion and I guess he realised there are times to study history and there are times when you are part of history,” his brother Andriy says.

Yevhen had done some military training and he became a platoon commander for an international brigade on the eastern front. His military call sign -“Elvis” - said more about his hairstyle than his singing style.

Yevhen’s heavy metal band -“Black Forces” - played music that was “terrible enough to use as a psychological weapon against the Russians”, his brother jokes.

During a Russian tank assault near Bakhmut last July a piece of shrapnel struck Yevhen just above his flak jacket and killed him. He left behind a widow and an eight year-old daughter.

Putin seems determined to push on after one year of warpublished at 14:58 Greenwich Mean Time 24 February 2023

14:58 GMT 24 February 2023

Steve Rosenberg
BBC Russia editor

Vladimir Putin had expected a swift victory, that would force Ukraine back into Moscow’s orbit.

But his so-called ‘special military operation’ did not go according to plan. Over the last twelve months the Russian military has suffered heavy casualties – the Kremlin had to declare mobilisation to boost troop numbers, drafting hundreds of thousands of Russians into the army.

As this war enters its second year, President Putin appears determined to push on – confident that Russia has the resources to secure eventually a military victory over Ukraine and over the West.

International sanctions have hurt the Russian economy, but what they haven’t done is trigger economic collapse or a Kremlin U-turn on Ukraine.

For now, there is little public pressure here on Putin to end the fighting. Many Russians believe what the state media is telling them – that Russia’s not the aggressor, and that it’s fighting for peace.

Orla Guerin
Reporting from Vuhledar, eastern Ukraine

Image source, Goktay Koraltan/BBC

The commander, codenamed Beast, looked exhausted.

Beneath his green helmet, dark shadows ringed his eyes. He had been on his feet all night fighting. Like many on Ukraine's eastern front, he is both battle-hardened and war-weary.

"It's difficult. People don't get enough sleep. They are standing for 20 hours. The fight goes on around the clock. I can't say more, it's secret. But, we can't go back."

His unit, from Ukraine's 35th Brigade, is part of the defence of Vuhledar. The name means gift of coal, and this prosperous mining town was once home to 15,000 people. But now it's a wasteland - one of many on Ukraine's 1,300 kilometre (807 mile) front line.

Blackened apartment blocks tower over deserted streets. A church has been reduced to a shell - its roof peeled off and windows shattered. A cross still stands at the front, punctured by shrapnel. In the playground, there are bullet holes in the slide. Vuhledar's children are long gone.

• Read Orla's full report here

Laura Gozzi
Live reporter

The war has also had profound effects in Russia, including an exodus of young people opposed to the war. Among them is Alexander - a 30-year-old man who fled the country days after Putin announced the start of mobilisation.

"I didn't want to have to kill anybody," he tells me. He is currently in Armenia and like many others, he left Russia with no idea of when, or if, he will ever go back.

"People have been very welcoming and warm to us both in Turkey and Armenia. It doesn’t cease to amaze me. It feels like we are more welcome and appreciated here than in our own country - and I don’t just mean wartime.”

"I’ll do anything within my powers not to go back to Russia unless there are some dramatic changes for the better and I’m sure it’s safe there," he says.

Marita Moloney
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

The one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been a day of reflection, but also an opportunity for Kyiv and its allies to restate their resolve to achieve victory. Here's the latest:

• "A year of invincibility" is how Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky described the last 12 months, as he pledged to "do everything to gain victory this year"
• Allies and G7 leaders reiterated their unwavering support for Ukraine, not just with messages of support, but with further military aid and sanctions against Russia
• Poland said it had already delivered four Leopard tanks to Ukraine, while the G7, including the UK and US, announced plans for new Russian sanctions in an effort to frustrate Vladimir Putin's war efforts
• We haven't heard from the Russian president today, in fact it's his predecessor Dmitry Medvedev who's been speaking out to tell Moscow to push Ukrainian forces back to the Polish border. There were no major public events to mark the anniversary in Russia, nor did it get a mention on state television
• But commemorations have been taking place across the world, including in the UK where a minute's silence was held earlier
• Our correspondents have been answering some of your questions, including what it's been like to report from the frontline and when the war might end. They'll be answering more throughout the day, so keep sending them our way via the 'Get Involved' button at the top of the page
• There's still lots to come today - we'll be hearing from Zelensky at a G7 meeting, as well as the UN, so stay with us

Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor

Beyond seizing a territorial corridor to Crimea, Russia's bloody, unprovoked war has been a disaster for itself and the country it was unleashed on. So far, it has achieved little more than exposing the brutality and inadequacy of the Russian military.

Here are some of the key setbacks:

• The retreat of about 30,000 Russian troops across the Dnipro river from Kherson in November was a strategic failure

• A 56km(35mile) armoured convoy that ground to a halt near Kyiv at the start of the war was a logistical failure
• The deaths of a large number of recently mobilised troops in a Ukrainian new-year missile attack on Makiivka were an intelligence failure
• The sinking of the flagship Black Sea battle cruiser the Moskva was a defensive failure, as was the spectacular attack in October 2022 that shut the Kerch Strait bridge for weeks

Image source, .

With the news Poland has already delivered four German-manufactured Leopard 2 tanks - widely considered to be one of the most effective main battle tanks available - now might to be a good time to recap what similar hardware Ukraine is set to receive.

On the main battle tank front: the US is sending 31 of its M1 Abrams tanks, the UK is providing 14 Challenger 2 tanks and Germany, 14 Leopard 2 tanks.

Spain says it's sending six of its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, while Poland is set to deliver 10 more on top of the four announced today.

The Leopard 2 is used by a number of European countries, and is considered to be easier to maintain and more fuel-efficient than most other Western tanks.

Image source, .

In the months which followed the Russian invasion, Nato preferred member countries to supply tanks which had been in use by former Soviet states, as Ukraine's armed forces know how to operate them, how to maintain them, and had a lot spare parts.

Ukraine used T-72 tanks prior to the invasion, and since February 2022 has received more than 200 of these Soviet-designed machines from Poland, the Czech Republic and a small number of other countries.

If you'd like to read more about the M1 Abrams, Challenger 2 and other key pieces of military hardware supplied to Ukraine over the last year, click here.

Helen Catt
Political correspondent

Image source, EPA

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wants to see allies join the UK in supplying Ukraine with "weapons that are able to degrade Russian forces beyond the frontline", his deputy official spokesman says.

Downing Street says the prime minister "strongly believes the capability would be a step change to help Ukraine seize a window of opportunity to push Russia back and help Ukraine defend and regain territory for the long term".

The PM plans to make this very case to international partners at a meeting of G7 leaders, being held later today. He'll tell world leaders that "sophisticated capability will help protect critical civilian infrastructure and will preserve frontline defences".

He's also expected to reiterate an offer of UK support to countries able to provide fast jets.

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Kyiv

You’re probably familiar with our Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse, but know less about the team behind him.

Regional bureau chief Kate Peters arrived in Kyiv from her base in Moscow in January 2022, thinking that she would only be here for a few days. Instead, she has stayed and led the BBC’s coverage of the biggest story of the past year.

I’ve been sitting down for a chat with Kate at a hotel in Kyiv that now provides a base for BBC staff here.

In the days immediately after Russia’s invasion, Kate had to build a new team, including local producers and drivers.

“It was an enormous challenge. I’ve been doing this for a long time and have covered some big stories, but really this was quite extraordinary. A war in Europe. Right on our doorstep,” she tells me.

Kate says she was sitting in the same room that we are now in together when the first sirens sounded in Kyiv a year ago today.

“I don’t think any of us will ever forget that. Everybody froze,” she recalls.

Some of her biggest memories from the past year include correspondents Clive Myrie and Lyse Doucet presenting the news from a shelter erected in the carpark of the building - and at one point having to try to slow down a child who had run over Clive’s feet.

“Who would have predicted that we would be presenting the main BBC One bulletins from an underground car park in a hotel in Kyiv? And yet, it worked,” she says.

Kate says she didn’t need long to think about whether to stay in Ukraine to cover the story, even though it means that she has not been able to return to her Moscow home since.

“I had to be here. I couldn’t be anywhere else. We needed to report what was going on,” she says.

A minute's silence was observed this morning across the UK to mark the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak led the nation in silence from Downing Street.

Others across the country joined to mark the moment, including Sir Keir Starmer.

Earlier on, President Zelensky marked the invasion's year anniversary by addressing some of his troops at a sombre ceremony in Kyiv.

He said he was "proud" of them, and urged "this pride to go through the streets, the trenches, through hearts and lands". He also remembered those "heroes" who "gave their lives for Ukraine and the freedom of our state".

After a minute's silence, the Ukrainian leader handed out awards to soldiers and the families of those who've died. The ceremony was broadcast live in Ukraine and is just one of many to have taken place across the country today.

"It is up to you to decide whether all of us should exist, whether Ukraine should exist," Zelensky's quoted as saying, by Ukraine's Interfax news agency, in his closing remarks.

Image source, EPA

Poland has delivered the first four Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and will send more soon, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has announced.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, Morawiecki said the tanks would help protect Ukrainian troops on the Battlefield and more would be on the way "in a few days".

The Polish PM also told reporters that 60 PT-91 tanks would also be sent to Ukraine in the coming days, the Unian news agency reports.

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Ukrainian troops training with the British military marked the first anniversary of Russia's invasion at sunrise this morning.

Adam Easton
Warsaw Correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Poland has sent its first German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, a government spokesman has said.

"The first Leopards from Poland went to our neighbours from Ukraine. Today’s visit by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has a measurable character for the security of Ukraine and Europe," Polish minister Piotr Muller wrote on Twitter, external.

Morawiecki is visiting Kyiv on the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Poland has pledged to send 14 Leopards to Ukraine and crews are already being trained how to use them, these are on top of over 250 Soviet-era tanks given by Warsaw over the last year.

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Kyiv

That's the end of the Q&A from Kyiv - thank you all for submitting your questions, and thanks again to James and Marta for answering them.

We have asked other BBC correspondents - from Orla Guerin to John Simpson, from Lyse Doucet to Jeremy Bowen - to answer questions our readers have been submitting in the last few days, and we'll continue to post their answers on this page throughout the day.

Many thanks again for following this anniversary along with us.

A message to James and Martapublished at 13:00 Greenwich Mean Time 24 February 2023

13:00 GMT 24 February 2023

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Kyiv

Lesley has written in to say: not so much a question - more a big thank you to you and all your colleagues from all media for reporting under truly awful circumstances. The saying "Truth is the first casualty of war" has been proved right in Russia, but not here, thanks to you all.

James: Thank you, Lesley. All I would say is we’ve felt our work has been important against a backdrop of misinformation.

This war has been fast-paced, which is why BBC teams have had to rely on each other to give the clearest possible picture. It’s certainly been humbling to see the impact this has had on Ukrainian colleagues.

Marta: I can also say thank you, Lesley, for your kind words.

For me, as a Ukrainian, reporting on this war has been very painful but at the same time, my work as a journalist, that is what kept all of us sane during this past year, and gave us a sense of purpose in our disrupted lives.

I remember in the first days of war, when we were running our live page from the bomb shelters and other strange and dangerous places, we felt like we were doing something very important because thousands of people were relying on our information when everyone was disorientated, in panic, escaping their homes, making decisions of where to go to be safe.

Looking back...published at 12:57 Greenwich Mean Time 24 February 2023

12:57 GMT 24 February 2023

James Waterhouse
Ukraine correspondent in Kyiv

Back to James for the final question and this one’s from me, Alice. You started your role as Ukraine correspondent six weeks before the invasion. How would you sum up the past year?

When I first arrived, it felt like entering a bubble. Kyiv was a city seemingly protected from the surrounding geopolitical crisis.

Witnessing the trauma that this full-scale invasion has caused will always stay with me.

It has been a story which has had it all – grief, unimaginable violence, but also resilience and hope.

It’s been a war of eyewatering pace at times. And the ending is still far from clear.

I feel a huge responsibility but also privileged to be able to tell this story.

What about Crimea?published at 12:53 Greenwich Mean Time 24 February 2023

12:53 GMT 24 February 2023

Marta Shokalo
Editor, BBC Ukrainian Service

Another reader question for Marta: how much support does Russia have in Crimea, as opposed to other parts of Ukraine?

Support for Russia had been quite strong during the whole independence of Ukraine and probably that is one of the reasons why Russia managed to annex it so easily.

But it is quite hard to understand the real mood of people there because the information is quite limited. We do not have correspondents there and we can only rely on information from some local people.

It is known that the Crimean Tatars has been always pro-Ukrainian but those people who stayed in Crimea they needed to adjust to their reality and keep their feelings to themselves.

Is there an 'escape plan'?published at 12:48 Greenwich Mean Time 24 February 2023

12:48 GMT 24 February 2023

Marta Shokalo
Editor, BBC Ukrainian Service

A question now from David Rogers in Birmingham: Does the Ukrainian government have an "escape plan" from this ongoing conflict?

I think the only plan that the Ukrainian government has right now is to win the war and to regain control over all Ukrainian territory taken by Russia.

These days, I have been getting a lot of questions from people asking if I see any possibility for negotiations between the two sides.

To be honest, I don’t see them and I never saw them from the beginning of this war. And the further it goes, the less the chances are.

But this war is very unpredictable and actually nobody knows how it will go and how it will end.