Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said today that Ukraine “survived the most difficult winter in its history”, marked by massive Russian bombing that plunged millions of people into darkness.

“It was cold and dark, but we didn’t bend,” Kuleba wrote in a Facebook post. “Ukraine has defeated the winter terror,” he added while it has already been a year since the Russian invasion.

“Our partners stood by us, offering us their help. The EU has also won and, contrary to Moscow’s taunts, not frozen out of Russian gas,” which was targeted by sanctions, the minister said.

“The road is still long to the final victory. But we already know how to win,” he said.

The winter in Ukraine was marked by a series of Russian missile and drone strikes targeting energy facilities, often causing massive power and water outages.

Kiev’s Western allies have gradually provided the country with air defense systems, and Russia has reduced the frequency and range of its attacks.

The fighting has been concentrated in the eastern part of the country, mainly around the fortress city of Bakhmut, where the Ukrainian military yesterday described an “extremely tense” situation in the face of Russian attacks.