Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy marked the start of the fifth year of the Ukraine war​ by saying Russia has failed to achieve its goals — and the Kremlin agreed.

MOSCOW, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Russia accused Ukraine on Tuesday of trying to obtain a nuclear weapon with help from Britain and France, an allegation Kyiv called an absurd lie. A French foreign ministry spokesperson said the allegation was "blatant disinformation".

Ukrainians on Tuesday were observing the fourth anniversary of Russia’s all-out invasion of their country — a grim marker in a war that has killed tens of thousands of people and put European leaders on edge about the scale of Moscow’s ambitions on the continent.

In the war's first year, Ukraine forced back the Russian offensive at the gates of Kyiv and reclaimed swathes of occupied land. But a Ukrainian counteroffensive failed the following year, and since then Moscow has made slow but relentless gains in costly battles along a 1,200-km (750-mile) front.

Russia is increasingly reliant on foreign fighters from around the world to prosecute its war in Ukraine, writes

Four years of war in Ukraine has brought seismic evolution to the world - to the nature of warfare, the balance of global powers, and to European security.

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa said 11 men who were allegedly tricked into fighting for Russia in the war in Ukraine are being sent home.

Four years of war have discouraged Ukrainian and Russian women from having children, and that could impact their economies in the future.