Almost immediately following the end of the EuroMaidan Revolution in Ukraine in February 2014, Russia swiftly moved to annex and occupy the Crimean Peninsula. Within a couple of months, unrest erupted in eastern Ukraine followed by Russian-backed militias taking over administrative buildings. The events mark the start of Russia's 10-year invasion and occupation of Ukraine that continues to this day.
Volodymyr Zelensky visited a hospital in Dnipro on Thursday 27 July, to present state awards to medical workers. The president of Ukraine thanked the staff on a trip that coincided with Medical Worker’s Day. “On your frontline, you are the same heroes as the military. Thank you for saving our boys and girls. Thank you for giving all your time and energy to restore the health of our warriors,” the video, shared on Mr Zelensky’s Facebook page, was captioned. “We highly respect you and are proud that we have such doctors. I wish you and all Ukrainians victory, good health to you and your families.”