Lloyd Austin said Ukraine’s effort to defeat Russia’s invasion ‘matters to the rest of the world’ and that U.S. support would continue ‘for the long haul.’

At least 2,442 children, including those with disabilities, were taken to Belarus from 17 cities of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine between Feb. 24, 2022, and Oct. 30, 2023.

Ukrainian troops had recaptured the heights over Bakhmut and made some advances west, north, and south of the city since Kyiv launched its summer counteroffensive.

Marking the anniversary of Russia’s defeat on Nov. 11 is a bittersweet occasion, many residents say, as Ukraine’s counteroffensive grinds on without producing the spectacular gains many had hoped for.

The missile strike killed 19 Ukrainian soldiers and sparked a wave of criticism among Ukrainians who questioned on social media the planning of an event so close to the battlefield.

Russian forces hit troops of the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade with an Iskander-M missile on Friday, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said in a social media post late Saturday.