ah ah ah this is the w news live from berlin. ukraine is loft in a fight for freedom this independence day. on the front lines in the south and east, the military stands its ground against the russian. i baz president savanski bound to fight to the end. the countries already paid a high price off the half

a year of war to pull them $5000.00 ukrainian civilians, a debt, and haley $8000.00 injured. we look back at how roches brutal was sent, shock waves around the world, over coming up poles close in angola election. the left wing ruling party struggles to keep its longtime grip on power and make claims it squandered. the african nations massive oil. well, ah i've been fizzle and welcome. it's exactly 6 months since russia launched its full invasion of ukraine. it shattered the longstanding peace in europe and has led to civilian casualties in the 10s of thousands. today also marks the anniversary of ukraine's independence from the soviet union. but it finds itself locked in a war of attrition. the russian ministry of defense says its soldiers and the armed forces of the dumbass of making progress that hes. so than done yet,

scroggins ukraine says its army is stabilizing the front lines through small troop movements. independent say celebrations were banned in the capital key this year, amid fears of a rush, an attack, but ukrainian still found ways to show their resistance. russian tanks aligned up in the ukrainian capital, the message. this is the only way russian military equipment will appear and give burnt and destroyed. it was unusually quiet as ukrainians marked that independence day in the capitol. occasionally emptied warnings disrupted the silence. ah, but the mood in the city is defined. we had as a precise, initial grain with us. i'm very proud of our country easily could i, you know, i'm glad that we came back from europe some where we had fled to,

to celebrate here. but now on this day with our fellow citizens, some of the day i believe victory will come dates if it's a special day for me today. mitchell is sure. i feel nothing. no fear. i traveled almost a 100 kilometers here from near keith. nothing scares me to do it for you just have to do it even in a, it's a holiday. after all, it was filled or food them. i am president. well it to me zalinski released a pre recorded message. great. he vowed to fight until the end wasn't here with him when i was to. so in this thing, what for us at the end of the war? will you cite piece? now we say victory, and then we won't look for a mutual understanding was a terrorist yet got even though we understand the russian language, if you came to defend lacoff while killing thousands of people you came to liberate in is up. i need to know what else we finally became united. that us customer and you nation, emerge on february 24th at foy anthony. not gone for me,

but reborn more. a nation that did not cry, scream, o gets gantski. when that did not run away, yet he did not give up and did not forget. the president and 1st lady also visited a memorial for the soldiers killed in the conflict. meanwhile ukrainian troops in the east are locked in a riding war of attrition with the russian army. i asked i corresponded in keys mathias bellinger. if there's a sense rush is invasion, is strengthening ukrainian identity. people were even surprised that they would be so united and so defiant at this. and while before the war you would hear people that is certainly going to be a lot of resistance. and the question was, of course, how the country would hold together under such a, such an attack and how people would be able to deal with that. and i think it's something that has surprised 1st and foremost russia. he obviously did not think

they would meet this kind of risk resistance. it has also a surprise, the western partners who were a not very convinced some of them, at least, and many observers that ukraine would withstand this attack at all. and it has also surprised many ukrainians who are saying they didn't know how united they were and how much they felt as a nation. if you were in peacetime, you can easily forget above all the distances of regions of generations or that you are in this together. but like in this situation, many say we found out that we are really together. it you definitely right of a surprise back the day, but 6 months into this war. what is there to actually celebrate today's independence day in the 31st a 3rd to 1st he has since independence and that's what this day is about. it's not a victory day. obviously,

although there is this parade ghost parade as it is called of burned out tanks. the sarcastic and sin, it is the lation of these tanks at the place where everybody suspects that the russians were planning to hold their victory parade after a few days or weeks of the war as some i have had predicted. um, so there is of course, a message of defiance today. we've just heard it from the landscape. but this is not a victory celebration, but there is, of course, what days to celebrate is that ukraine is independent as office as opposed to what russia, how to proceed for it. he w smith. he has spending a reporting for keith. the capital was among the 1st to come under attack from russia about the siege failed. in the past 3 months, residence had begun to rebuild and return to their routines. despite the fear of further strikes. up in the sky there, working to fix the damage. at the bottom it was there. okay.

it came from over there like this and sliced off the corner of the building. you saw me it was the 3 of the war. this was the 1st residential building and keith to be hit they've started reconstruction, even though the war hasn't yet ended. the city council is paying for most of the repairs. but residents like with a natural makeover house or raising funds a day it says that was available. this is the api center of the explosion. the number 2 apartments here. and if you look over here, this corner,

there was another room here at the rock at chick the corner off and the whole room after the explosion also hit the 2 apartments above and below. i only was a while last year who destroyed room was the one most families in the apartment use. as a kids bedroom, the block was relatively new. built for keeps emerging middle class the rock had wrecked 4 floors, but no one was killed. they were either in different parts of their apartments or had left the city like one family who had fled to germany. on the video, they had a camera in the room and they could see on their full and her their flag was destroyed. i can't imagine what that feels like. they were safe,

but they still saw this happening. it's terrible. visit office did. don't shift those off. 4 floors for the don't. all in as apartment was an damaged, even the glasses intact. still, she's happy. she wasn't home when the rocket hit. some neighbors were there suffered a terrible shock and still have trouble returning. they stay in close contact. at the calamity has united many of us have become friends and we understand how important it is to stick together. and when the war is over, i'm sure we will call again the defiance from the people whose building was the 1st and key to be hit in this way. let's take a look at some other stories making headlines. us president joe biden is said to announce

a partial cancellation of student debt for some borrowers. $10000.00 in student loans for borrowers whose income falls below $125000.00 a year. economist say that will free up hundreds of billions of dollars for new consumer spending. the german government is agreed on a legal basis for new measures to counter a possible uptake in code. 19 infections is all of them are plans for strict mask rules on trains and planes. elfman is the car lauterbach said he expects a new wave of infections, ruled out further lockdown or school closures. what his in south africa have headed have heated, a cold from trade unions to protest. so in cost of living ramp and inflation and high unemployment and estimated 2000000 jobs were lost in south africa due to the code of 900. pandemic. counting is underway with polls having officially closed and, and goal is most closely contested election since its transition to a multi party state. and goldens have voted for and you parliaments and you

president the governing body. and p lane has been empowered for nearly 5 decades for the 1st time it's facing serious competition. poverty, inflation, and corruption have been the main campaign issues in the former portuguese colony d w's. adrian. trish centers this update from a polling station in the capital to wander. well, it's been a quiet and peaceful day so far, but make no mistake. you can feel the tension and kind of excitement in the air here because it's going to be the most competitive election in the history of the country, especially in the urban areas in luanda. this is a strong holds off the opposition party, and a lot of young people are living in many we talk to. they are very keen to see a change. you mentioned that earlier, the governing party has been in power for almost 50 years. angola is the, the biggest oil producer in africa, yet the oil wealth hasn't trickled down to the majority of the population. there's massive youth unemployment here, and many of the young people who want to see change. on the other hand,

the m. p l a. the governing party still has a lot of supporters in the rural areas in particular. so it's gonna be a tight raise and some civil society organization have raised the alamba already before the elections about how free and fair these elections are going to be. and we have one the election of several with us as to latino. if i language who has been observing the elections today, he's a member of the church and that the civil society organization. this is tina. how is the day been going for you? you've been to very a lot of polling stations or what have you seen? are you happy? yeah, so far, i'm happy with what i have seen. so on the we are waiting in the right now we are just counting their ballot saw. we are waiting to see from camara. the results of the pool will win. i hope that the, the best should, should the wind the elections. i think aversion each one of their political part beds its campaign. so now report as went and there was site who will be the winner

. some people already said before the elections that we will not really see a free and fair competition. we have a very small number of election of service, for example, less than 2000 where allowed for more than 10000 polling stations. there's no free media here and also some are saying that the electoral commission is still to some extent controlled by the government. do you agree on that? yes. so some extent of course, not on the government because we have also remember from very hard up their position parties who are part of these sydney. but of, of you the, the president and they are important members of these electoral commission belong to day a ruling party. so that's why people are saying that these are electoral commission is not really independent as we de you, your african union just well advised you to members.

thus we should to build up and move. well, we would call solid electoral reformation. so far we said that things have been quite peaceful, but some are wanting that this could change when the results i announced how high do you think are the chances that we see protests after that? yeah, we helped out tomorrow because who has the civil society on the chase? we are always asking for politicians that should accept the results. but obviously we hope that today the counting will be 1st sought out to wound. obviously people will accept to what the outcome but we hope that terry want to have trouble. thank you so latino, back to you been okay, thank you very much. again, chris, there with an election observer at the polling booth in angola in watching d. w. news coming up next in d, w. 's,

asia. how the war in ukraine is changing the power politics in asia, and where it's taking roches relations with china, and india and ben fizzle and nice to have you along the next hour here on the details about ah, 3 on this day. it's been 6 months since russia started. it's unprecedented to talk on the summer and maybe on you crate and we are here. we talk to people on the ground to politician.