♪ >> this is dw news live from berlin. one year of the russian invasion of ukraine. ukraine's president sending a clear message. >> leave our territory, withdraw, stop showing us, stop killing civilians, stop destroying our infrastructure. >> president zelenskyy honored the country's armed forces and the families of fallen soldiers.

and across ukraine, hopes and tensions ran high today. our correspondent reports from the south. >> every couple minutes, you can hear artillery pretty close. the russian army is on the other side of the dnieper river. ordinary artillery is enough. > the anniversary marked by antiwar protests in cities across the world. in berlin, actavis parked a russian tank wrecked in ukraine outside moscow's embassy in the center of the german capital. i'm brent goff. to our viewers watching on pbs and all of your in the world, welcome. you are joining us as our special coverage marking a year since russia began its

full-scale invasion of ukraine continues. commemorations and rallies have been taking place throughout the day and around the world. in kyiv, ukraine's president honored his armed forces. he presented metals to troops and thanked families of those who died in combat. there was a somber interlude in a war that's claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions of people. a grinding war of attrition seems to have said in a long a one-kilometer front line in eastern ukraine -- a 1000-kilometer front line in eastern ukraine. we discuss how the invasion faltered and the next steps as the kremlin ramps up a new offensive. >> one year ago, russia attacked ukraine from three sides. in the north, armored units came over the border from russia's ally, belarus. there were air and land attacks from russia itself in the east.

from the south, forces flowed from russian occupied crimea. russia's navy also attacked from the black sea. ukrainians soon showed that the russians had underestimated them. a massive column of russian tanks headed toward kyiv was stopped in its tracks. the battle for keep was lost and it was clear this would not be the quick victory for moscow that many expected. by april, russian troops had retreated from the north. they regrouped to focus their efforts on the east and south. the strategic southeastern port city of mariupol had been surrounded since the early days of the war. and in may, it finally fell to russian forces. the city that had been home to 450,000 people lay in ruins, but russian victories remain few and far between. in september, ukraine's military

surprised russia with a lightning offensive that reclaimed large swathes of the heart -- of the kharkiv region and liberated a major city, a humiliation for the russian army. meanwhile, ukraine was benefiting from an increasing flow of high-tech western weapons, including a multiple rocket launcher allowing them to hit behind enemy lines, cutting off supply routes and hitting ammunition depots. since retaking kharkiv and kherson, the front line been stable. one of russia's original goals. the latest offensive pushing along the frontline in the

donbas has so far yielded no major gains for russia. meanwhile, ukraine is also gearing up for a counteroffensive, and is expecting deliveries of dozens of advanced battle tanks from germany, poland, britain and the u.s. ukrainian soldiers are getting training from nato on sophisticated military maneuvers. that could help them punch through the russian lines and take back more territory. how far they can go is another question. it's clear that kyiv can only keep fighting as long as the weapons keep flowing from its western allies. >> our correspondent is in the city of kherson in southern ukraine. there was jubilation when kherson was liberated from russian occupation last year, but the threat from moscow's forces remains ever present. >> kherson a year after the

start of this war is for the most part deserted. this is not a city that feels any closer to peace and certainly there's a feeling among people here that this is a day russia will remind them quite how close they are that this is a day more dangerous than normal and normal in kherson is pretty dangerous as it is. you can hear artillery close. the russian army is just on the other side of the dnieper river. they don't need high-tech missiles. ordinary artillery is enough. we have seen people losing their lives at bus stops. the last 24 hours, we have seen the hospital here hit, hitting infrastructure. basically nowhere in kherson is safe. it is difficult to compute all this for someone like me, who was last year in november here, and the city square was full of people. the president of ukraine was here and there was a since people would have a chance to start going about their lives again and getting back to some kind of normality. that certainly has not happened.

with the russians close by, they've been living with incessant shelling. the government building behind me has been hit repeatedly. even though some of the bay -- the basic infrastructure has come back, power, heating, mobile internet, supermarket shelves are stocked, multiple people have gotten out. kherson strategically does not have any special location more than any other lease in this part of the country, but it is about the symbolism. this is the one big gain for russia in this war, the only regional capital russia was able to take, and when ukraine retook it, it was a blow for the kremlin, so this is a city on everyone's mind in russia and ukraine, and everyone here is convinced russia is determined to make sure people here never relax. >> on this one year anniversary,

president zelenskyy spoke with reporters and laid out his conditions for possible talks with russia aimed at ending the fight. >> we need to start from scratch. we need to go back to what was violated. our right to live on our land needs to be respected. leave our territory. withdraw. stop shelling us. stop killing civilians. stop destroying our infrastructure, energy sector, potable water. stop airstrikes on the cities. stop killing dogs, cats, animals. stop burning the forests. so you go ahead and it stop doing all of that we will tell you what form will be used to diplomatic leap put an end to it.

>> our correspondent is in kyiv. she was at president zelenskyy's press conference today. i asked her for her take on the present's message and his tone. >> first, we have, as you said, experienced a press conference that usually you do not expect in a country at war you do not expect in a country at war. it was more than two hours in which he took these questions by journalists from the world. the world was in the room represented by various journalists. it was very important to him that he's not just striking this voice of being approachable to these questions but oftentimes even struck a colloquial tone, that he's someone that, despite the stress, despite the pressure that he's facing being a president during wartime, is someone who is actually reaching out. at least that was his message today, that he wants to make

sure it is not like representatives from europe. the prime minister of italy was here. the spanish prime minister today. the prime minister from poland. and of course president biden from the united states. he wants to make sure he brings more countries on board, specifically those countries, for example, african countries, southern american countries, india and china that so far did not signal much support, be it actively or just rhetorically, even, if you look at the vote in the general assembly, for example, in new york. he tried to use this platform, this international media gathering, basically, to spread this message that he's the one who wants to reach out, but on the terms of ukraine. he is the one who says he's going to have a peace plan and wants to invite china to talk about that.

please determined to actually be -- he's determined to actually be in control of how things go forward. the question is if these countries he mentioned are going to be part of that and participate in a peace summit that he's planning to have at some point. >> yeah, he's been called the unlikeliest of wartime presidents. at the same time, people all around the world have praised him for his ability to communicate with the public, and we saw that in action today again in describing some personal moments over the past 12 months. you have been covering this story now for more than a year. do you think his communication style, is it strengthening his message? i mean, is he going to get what he wants by communicating the way he does? >> well, if you remember, when this war began, or in fact the days before that, we heard

things from germany, for example, that they are going to send some helmets as a form of support, and if you look back at the rhetoric a year ago from so many politicians who were so torn down and not as determined as it is now. nobody was talking about sending tanks to ukraine. whether that's due to president zelenskyy's way of communication politically or just the fact that the world has realized, or parts of the world have realized, that it is on the side of ukraine politically, literally and with regard to humanitarian aid, put sibley realized that russia could threaten them as well or simply do to politics, i am not one to analyze that, but this is not just one who is trying to appear very approachable but certainly a social media president, every day since russia's invasion,

he's taken to social media to spread the message. wants to use, actually, media, international media but also local media, to make sure people have a long breath. they must have a longer breath here in order to bring this war to the end. he is calling on the people through the media. he's calling on his own people, he says, who left ukraine in the hopes they are going to return and rebuild this country. >> the position between zelenskyy and vladimir putin could not be stranger or stronger. thank you. protests around the world have marked the anniversary of russia's invasion of ukraine. people have come together and held vigils, tributes, rallies, demanding a cease-fire and peace talks as this conflict is about to enter its second year. >> a destroyed russian tank placed in the heart of berlin. a symbol of ukrainian

resistance. in brussels, teddy bears and toys recalled children of ducted during the war. in belgrade, a bloody cake left in front of the russian embassy. >> help ukraine win. help ukraine win. >> commemorations of a grim year for ukraine have spread across the globe, drawing people to peace rallies in asia, australia, europe and the middle east. >> i cannot find any words to describe how we and every single ukrainian feels today. this absolutely cruel and irrational war that has been brought to our land. >> on the eve of the conflict anniversary, the public squares and landmarks of major cities around the world were covered in ukraine's national colors.

hundreds of people gathered at a vigil in london, many hoping for more armed support from the west in the coming months. >> there's a lot of words, but not enough actions. we need fast actions, fast delivery, because people are dying every day. >> earlier, a group of activists poured hundreds of liters of yellow and blue paint onto the road outside the russian embassy and then spread it out to paint an enormous ukrainian flag. in russia, authorities arrested several people for bringing flowers to statues of ukrainian poets. during the first week of the invasion, thousands of russians protested the war. when you're on, it is just solitary demonstrations like these -- one year on, it is just solitary demonstrations like these. as a conflict enters its second year, the world has neither forgotten nor given up on

ukraine. >> today, the un security council in new york held a special session to mark one year of russia's invasion of ukraine. germany's foreign minister addressed the council, calling the war in ukraine putin's war. >> this war is not the world's war. it is not the war of the russian people. this war is putin's war. he is risking the future of his own country, his own soldiers, his own children. that is why a just peace, a peace plan presented yesterday by the 141 states at the general assembly, is also in the interests of the people of russia. >> at the big table with me now, i am happy to be able to say that my colleague, senior political analyst melinda crane, is with us.

you were following the events today at the u.n. what did you make of the german foreign minister's address and message? >> it was a very strong, emotional speech. she referred to a massacre in bucha, for example, and said, do we want to be responsible for more of those, we leaders? i think it is precisely that eloquence that was the reason why ukraine itself asked that she be the last person to speak in yesterday's general assembly session, where it was so crucial to win more support, especially from some of the countries of the global south, including brazil, and ukraine's feeling and the feeling of others was cheese the kind of speaker who can do that -- was she's the kind of speaker who can do that. nonetheless, today's speech was a bit more subdued than yesterday's, and she paid recognition to the limitations

of the security council as it stands today. >> what impact can this debate at the u.n. security council have? >> the locus of action has shifted to the general assembly. we used to call that a talking shop. these days, it is the security council that's a talking shop because of russia's veto. it means any real decisive action, and this is the central organ of the united nations, responsible for peace and security, which is able, in fact, to direct countries with binding resolutions, this is essentially an impotent organ because of that russian veto. and she essentially referenced that, but also referenced something else. even when the security council cannot enforce international norms, they can reinforce them by calling out aggression, by naming, blaming, shaming, and certainly that was part of what she was trying to do. >> i want your take on what we have seen in the last 12 hours or so coming from china, this

proposed peace plan. we have to take this in. beijing presenting itself as a possible peace mediator. >> right. many analysts have pointed out that beijing has already taken sides. beijing has not condemned the russian invasion. they once again abstain from doing so yesterday in that general assembly resolution. so many, many commentators have said, look, a country that has taken sides cannot be a credible mediator. china is not officially calling this a peace plan but a position paper. it was interesting to hear president zelenskyy's take on the whole thing. he was very, very cautious in today's press conference in referring to the chinese initiative, saying that it was good that china's voice was being heard in this debate. very, very cautious in a very freewheeling press conference where he was otherwise quite forthright, emotional.

he was really choosing his words carefully, and essentially saying, you know, good that their voice is heard, but let me tell you. we are doing everything we can to prevent that china does deliver lethal weapons to russia because that would be a game changer. many mentioned those words. >> he said today that there were plans to meet with chinese president xi jinping. >> he did indeed. and again, he is trying to walk a fine line between not excluding and not rejecting china, acknowledging that there might be some elements in this position paper that could be of interest to one of them. of course, china's clear rejection of the use of a nuclear weapon. that is a cardinal principle for ukraine in its own peace formula. and also, the chinese position paper does make reference to territorial integrity. now, that might be interpreted either way for russia or for ukraine, but if i were ukraine, i would be looking to build on

that when i met with xi jinping. >> good advice. we will see if you have the ear of zelinski when he goes to meet xi jinping. good to have you. >> x for having. >> in germany, support for ukraine remain strong, the government announcing it is sending a total of 14 leopard 2 battle tanks to ukraine, but many voters worry about possible consequences of supplying weapons to kyiv. there were antiwar protests in several cities across germany today. >> a symbol of destruction and downfall, activists spark a piece of the battlefield in front of russia's embassy in berlin, the russian t 72 tank destroyed near fighting in bucha last march. permitting, a year of war has led them to reflect. >> i am here to mark the anniversary of the war, to

commemorate the victims and the terrible intervention in ukraine that violates international law. >> my generation knew about war from our grandparents and i never imagined this could happen again. >> not far away, the blue and yellow flag of ukraine flying high over the german parliament. officials say the rare gesture is meant to demonstrate a particularly clear sign of solidarity with the ukrainian people. solidarity is a sentiment the german government is stressing too. >> germany stands firmly by ukraine's side today and in the future. the sooner russia's president realizes he will not achieve his imperialist goals, the greater the chance of the war ending soon. >> how to bring the war to an end is hotly debated. after a minute of silence for the conflict's victims, germany's president weighed in with words of admonishment for

recent proposals for a cease-fire and peace talks. >> a peace that only secure is put in's land theft and otherwise leaves the people to the whim of the occupiers, a piece like this will not be peace. >> german assistance to ukraine has come a long way over the last year. keith's ambassador acknowledged germany's military and communitarian -- kyiv's ambassador acknowledged germany's military and humanitarian support. > we are grateful for the solidarity from germany, from germans, from all ukrainians. >> over one million people seeking protection feel safe in germany, and for that, i'm very grateful. >> a year on, thousands marched in berlin in protest and solidarity. support among the german public towards ukraine generally remains strong. more marches are expected over the weekend. a controversial rally is planned

in opposition to western weapons exports to ukraine and in support of peace negotiations. a recent german poll suggests more than half of people believe germany could be drawn directly into the war if it were to supply ukraine with more weapons. >> throughout his war of aggression, russian president vladimir putin has continued to attack ukraine's identity and culture. well they become casualties of this conflict? in our next report, we meet ukrainian artists, some of them inside the country, some in exile, who all see culture as the glue that holds the nation together. ♪ >> alyona alyona, ukraine's best-known rapper and style icon, taught herself how to wrap. nowadays, she speaks for an entire generation. her subjects, the war and the feelings it unleashes.

♪ >> since the start of the war, she has been splitting her time between kyiv and abroad. she sings about her experiences and russia -- and europe is listening. >> i see more ukrainian artists. artists help to have connection with other countries, to understand us, to know something new about us, and see we are creative. >> with her music and on social media, the wrapper takes on putin. belief plays an ever bigger role in her music, rap a kind of prayer to protect her from fear. ♪ >> stay or go, many musicians and artists battle with this

decision. he decided to stay, a popstar, national hero and lead singer of the ukrainian cult band. when the russian invasion began, he literally took to the streets. he began performing among the ruins. he often travels to the front line to experience the were close up. nevertheless, he keeps on going with his music. >> this year, i mean, this is the year of music for me. i do a lot of music. we did 175 performances. we had probably 60. ♪ >> the war has also made many ukrainian artists more determined than ever to fight

the war with the means at their disposal. and to ensure that art and culture does not fall victim to this conflict. ♪ >> you are watching dw news. after a short break, i will be back to take you through the day. our coverage of the one-year anniversary of the russian invasion of ukraine continues.

>> hello and welcome back to the "france 24" newsroom. it is 10 :00 in paris and kyi v. europe's biggest conflict since forward to interest the second year -- enters the second year. hostilities continue on the ground. president zelenskyy says victory is inevitably waiting his war-torn country. the u.s. and canada used the milestones will post press sanctions on russian entities and officials. you countries failed for a third date to agree on new punishments

for moscow. the u.n. writ chief deplores the terrible human cost of the fighting. close to 18 million people are said to be in dire need of humanitarian assistance with 8 million having escaped the shelling and fled to safety elsewhere already. ♪ vigils, protest, moments of silence and a flush flurry of diplomacy, sanctions, and military deliveries have been taking place to mark the one-year anniversary of russia's invasion of ukraine. on the morning of february 24, 2022, vladimir putin authorized what he called a special military operation.

in the hours that followed, moscow's boots were put on the ground and strikes were carried out from the air. as the conflict enters a second year, russia now controls roughly 1/5 of ukraine. we have a special guest standing by to talk to us in the ukrainian capital, a member of the country's parliament and also a member of the opposition party. thank you for joining us on "france 24" this evening. . is entering a second here -- though war in your homeland is entering a second here. caucus through what -- talk us through what you are feeling today. >> i feel grateful for the fact we still physically exist and still able to fit. we are thankful to our armed forces fighting every day for us also to our allies for giving us the means to fight with.

a year ago, i personally did not know what was going to happen. we all did not know if we were going to survive. what we learned is tomorrow is not given, that freedom is not given. but also what we learned is you are capable of so much more than the world believes you can do, but also that you yourself believe you can do. and this is a driving force moving forward. >> president zelenskyy has told ukrainians the past 12 month have been months of pain but also courage, unity, and resilience. he has made it clear ukraine will win this war. in your view, is his strategy the right one? is the right system in place to win the battle? >> what is the alternative question mark do not see one.

-- what is the alternative? we do not see one. i have seen the atrocities committed by russians and i know we do not have any other way. if we lose, we cease to exist. if we lose, then we will be tortured with pain as people in occupied territories. we do not see putin wants to stop so we have to stop him and push him back. and then, we have to figure out how to make sure he will not attack again. as of right now, we do not see any leader or organization that will stand up and say i will make sure putin will keep his word, i will make sure that your ukrainian children will not have to fight the same more over and over. this is why we need to continue fighting. this is why we are going t push russians away from our territory. >> you and your team have been

talking to lawmakers and lawyers around the world with a view to confiscating russian assets to help ukraine. tell us about the work you have been doing. >> as of right now, there's at least $500 billion of russian assets stored in the democratic countries such as european countries, united kingdom, u.s., and canada. i think it is so unfair that people of these countries who support us should be paying of their taxes for the crimes putin is committing. this is why we have been working to confiscate the assets and use them for the sake of ukraine, to help us fight but also to rebuild the country. also, we have results. for example, in canada, they have passed legislation. the united states has legislation. the u.k. is in the process of doing so. i am very confident soon the

first dollar or canadian dollar will pass to ukraine and we will be able to establish it as a common process for the countries throughout the world. >> a member of the ukrainian parliament, thank you very much for joining us on "france 24." thank you so much. >> thank you and glory to ukraine. >> thank you very much. this friday, china has called for a conference of cease fire as beijing urged both sides to agree to a gradual the escalation in hostility -- de-escalation in hostilities. there is no sign of let up with heavy fighting continuing. earlier, the defense ministry in moscow announced they will continue its assault on the donbass region pit the ministry claims as many as 240 ukrainian service personnel have been killed in 24 hours.

here in the "france 24" studio, we are joined by a professor in the french capital at sorbonne university and also an expert on military strategy. take for being with us again. as the war in ukraine enters the second year, what are the key lesss 12 months on? >> i would focus on three main outcomes. the first is we are ukraine in high intensity warfare under the shadow of nuclear deterrent which are at the center of security issues. it is something we might have forgotten before. that is the first point. the second point is these high

intensity conflicts have been also issued and all the various domains -- in all of the various domains. sea, land, cyber, and information, and air. some might say there has been mutual denial as in the skies, nevertheless, this kind of conflict is region in every domain. that is one very efficient factor with regards the way ukrainians fight, that is having high morale, high superiority, it is a key takeaway for having victory because the resilience due to the morale and strong leadership functions as

incentives to go further. the posture of president zelenskyy is some kind of lessons learned for all lawmakers and also high morale. >> thank you again for joining us on "france 24." our senior reporter has made several trips to ukraine to cover this war for us. this is the latest update she has had to share from the city. [no audio] >> we seem to have a problem with that report. let's move on to other news on this anniversary of the war in ukraine. the world bank has announced an additional $2.5 billion in grant financing to support ukraine.

at bank is not the only one coughing up. the u.s. has put his hand in its profits and put forward $2 billion additional in weaponry for zelenskyy forces prayed the biden administration also unveiled fresh sanctions against the kremlin and russian military assetsnd visa restrictions on putin allies and the army's top brass. those who oppose president putin's invasion have been braving the streets of russian cities to lay flowers or hold anti-war ballots. in moscow, several people were arrested at a monument honoring the ukrainian writer. there were similar scenes in st. petersburg at the foot of a monument honoring a ukrainian poet. more on the russian side of the story, we can speak to our

correspondent, don young hawkins -- daniel hawkins. thank you for being with us again. what has vladimir putin been doing on the one-year anniversary of his decision to send russian troops over the border into ukraine? >> the kremlin did not want to attach particular significance to t anniversary today. it's been very much in their minds the last 72 hours. on the 21st, he essentially justified, defended, and explained his decisions to launch special military operation in ukraine and announced suspension of the new start treaty, something that cost worry abroad. that was followed by a meeting with the top chinese official in a message to show russia is not isolated and has support of its

powerful neighbor. there is a sort of militarized halftime super bowl concert in which he encourage the crowd and said russia is defending the historical borders of its people, its motherland, and its family. on the 23rd, he announced russia would be the point new missile systs in a clear message of defiance to the west saying if russia is pushed too far by the collective west and nato, russia will respond. that has been the message from vladimir putin that russia will not change its course and achieve its objectives in the special military operation and has tried to rally crowds and

public support for the one-year anniversary. >> on that point, let's talk about public opinion in russia. how has that changed over what president putin has called a special military operation? >> we saw some arrests of protesters over the last 24 hours. there would probably be more if not for laws passed in russia over the last year that make criticism on independent media more difficult than it was in january of last year. having said that, official and independent poll companies both show vladimir putin does have high approval ratings and most russians support the course the kremlin has taken. having said that, other data shows russians have gotten extremely anxious.

demand for psychologist, antidepression and anti-anxiety medication has gone up. there is a feeling of uncertainty among many people as to where this is going. i think if you speak to most russians, there is no doubt they would say they want the conflict to be over. there is no joy or belief in what is going on. most want things to go back to normal. on the other hand, they also realize they are powerless to change the situation. there has been no progress with any negotiations or talks. they really fee russia is perhaps backed into a corner both by its government and kyiv and western allies who are refusing to negotiate. certainly, a feeling of powerlessness the part of russians. yesterday was defender of the fatherland day, i holiday originally designed for the red my. ere was huge farm display in moscow. the was no celebration or joy for a lot of russians. this anniversary means more

uncertainty, a normalization of conflict, a state of permanent militarism with pictures of soldiers all over the city, and more uncertainty about where this is going and how this is going to end. >> daniel hawkins, our correspondent in the russian capital. thank you very much. since put in order russian troops to invade, over 8 million people have packed up their lives and fled ukraine according to data coal aided by the u.n. refugee agency. close to 5 million have decided to register for temporary protection in an e.u. member states with poland taking in most of those escaping westward. the government in warsaw says it is ready to receive more who might be displaced. we can listen to what the you and home affairs commissioner -- the u.n. home affairs commissioner in grace has been

saying. -- in greece has been saying. >> i think we can be proud. [indiscernible] overall, we are managing. [crowd noises] this is the way we have to move forward. >> you are watching "france 24." a reminder of our top story. europe's biggest conflict since world war ii enters a second year. on the 12-month anniversary of vladimir putin's invasion of the ground but presidenttinue on zelenskyy says victory is inevitably awaiting his war-torn country. it is time for some business .

12 months of this conflict have had a devastating impact on ukraine's economy and worsened global energy and commodity disruptions as the world tried to recover from the covid-19 crisis. you are here to tell us more. >> the impact of the war reverberated across the globe. of course, ukraine war the brunt of russia's aggression. the finance ministry estimates gdp contracted by more than 30% in 2022 just as it slowly recovered from the 2015 financial crisis. as of november last year, it buildings and other infrastructure alone were estimated at $136 billion. ukraine is a major exporter of grains. as the farmland is turned into battlegrounds or were evacuated, it reduced crop production. logistics disruptions roast to

an estimated $34 billion as of november of. >> russia has faced a series of western sanctions, but it's economy seems to have proven surprisingly resilient. >> russes gdp shrunk 2.1% according to the latest official data. that is smaller than officially thought. in april, the international monetary fund forecast 8.5% decline for 2022. it means the economy fared better than during the financial crisis or the pandemic. if you look closely, you can see it has suffered a blow. retail dropped 13%. manufacturing contracted well soaring commodity prices made up for the losses. russia's budget deficit hit a record in january with massive increases in government and military spending. >> this war has also exposed how much europe depends on russian

energy. >> especially gas. prior to the war, almost 40% of europe's gas came from russia. the e.u. took gradual steps to wean itself off russian energy. russian president putin retaliated by cutting gas supplies to europe. the wholesale price of natural gas hit and all-time high last summer, almost reaching 340 euros per megawatt hour. in essence come down to about 50 euros per hour, as the bloc diversified supplies and a warm winter cap consumption lower-than-expected -- kept consumption lower-than-expected. lng increased 60% from a year ago. >> multiple rounds of western sanctions have made it difficult for foreign firms to continue doing business in russia.

they have also come under pressure to take a stance. >> in the face of western sanctions, some businesses have no choice but to leave russia. they could not continue operating. others have taken time to weigh their options. the oil giant finally bowed to international pressure late last year announcing a gradual withdrawal from russia. however, it said it was unable to sell its stake in russian gas exporter as the main shareholder was under western sanctions. japanese conglomerates have not hold out of the oil and gas project because it is too important for japan's energy security. a year into the war, exodus has picked up pace. a group at yale university have been tracking responses and says more than 1000 companies have publicly announced they are voluntarily detaining operations in russia.

32% have pulled out of the country. together with those who have suspended operations, they account for 3/5 of farm businesses that responded -- foreign businesses that responded. >> thank you very much. it is time for truth or fake, our daily fact-checking segment. you and the "france 24" have been debunking a whirlwind of misinformation surrounding the war in ukraine for one whole year. can you give us a round up? >> statistically, the "france 24" observance team has debunked 115 stories surrounding the war in ukraine over the past year. these are all claims using only visual elements, not using any speeches given by any political figures, just photos and images and video shared online only. while this is by no means an exhaustive list or study, we

found this analysis gave us a better idea of how each side used narrative to push forward their rhetoric. >> what are the main narratives of fake news used to misinform? >> we saw 10 major narratives over one year of misinformation. on this graph, you can see the frequency of the pro-russian stories we found compared to the pro ukrainian stories in black. out of all of the pro-russian narratives, we can clearly see the themes seen most frequently are that of nazi ideology and nazism present in ukraine. putin himself did dub it and anti-nazi operation a year ago. it is used as justification for

the war. if we look at one of the examples, we can see how that links back in practice. this was a video that went viral earlier this year, created in the style of al jazeera's infamous social media content. the claim was this imagery was this was not graffiti painted by fans. this was completely fabricated. that is one example. this is one other we found earlier this year of ukrainian soldier on the frontline wearing a swastika bracelet. it turns out this was a real photo taken from the frontline. however, on a deep dive, we found it was not what it seemed. the image was compressed and sent around in such poor resolution and quality that is exactly how the meeting was distorted away from the real

context and we found it is not a swastika bracelet at all but a celtic knot. another recurring theme we found from pro-russian accounts was that of the war being staged, accusations to ukraine. this video is one other example of that. it is only behind-the-scenes footage filmed by a ukrainian production company about the war itself, so it is not quite the claim that ukraine is putting this on and fabricating the war. it isn't that from a film set, but not the way russia is claiming it to be. one of the last themes we saw of the narratives used by russia was glorifying its army and troops. this video is a starting example shared by russia's defense ministry themselves. it talks about the use of the hypersonic missile that allegedly destroyed ukrainian territory showing off military

expertise. however, we found this video was created using special-effects and the overall use was to push the idea russia is winning. >> those are the pro-russian's information narratives. what have you found from the ukrainian side of the story? >> pro ukrainian accounts tended to glorify the resistance effort from ukraine as well as the strength of its own people. let's have a quick look at those examples. there we are. these are two we have from earlier this year. this example here claims an eight-year-old ukrainian girl bravely confronted a russian soldier on the frontline and this one that a ukrainian farmer managed to overthrow russian troops to hijack a fighter military jet. a reverse image search showed this is actually a palestinian

child activist confronting an israeli soldier and this picture was taken on the west bank in 2012. this is in fact a still from a croatian military parade in 2011. interestingly, also pro ukrainian misinformation has included accusations of staging but not staging the war in the way the russian misinformation was but instead directed more firmly at vladimir putin himself to push a narrative of paranoia. we saw three separate claims of this over the course of this year accusing putin of using paid actors during official visits or to populate crowds or his own army. overall, we can see the tenant neat -- technique are out of context images from other events

, manipulated or edited images, or real images misrepresented. you can find a more detailed breakdown on the website in french and english. >> thank you very much. it is time for a quick break on "france 24." do stay with us. there is more news coming up in a matter of minutes. ♪ >> i'm calling for the defense of ukraine because ukrne is a secular country. >> they are ukrainian and muslim. mostly tatars from crimea, faced with russian invasion, they are fighting on every front. although they make up only 1% of the population, many are involved in the war. >> before, muslims were accused of being terrorists. now, society has become more mature. >> other muslims are fighting alongside them.

chechen refugees. >> i will never forgive the russians for what they have done in my country. i think europe and the entire world have now understood who the real terrorists are. >> watch on "france 24" and france24.com. ♪

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02/24/23 024/23 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> norfolk southern and the other freight rail company stay to stop fighting us every time we try to do a regulation. amy: transportation secretary pete buttigieg has visited east palestine, ohio, for the first time since a norfolk southern train carrying toxic chemicals derailed three weeks blanketing