AGERPRES special correspondent Cristian Lupascu reports: Hundreds gathered on Tuesday morning at the memorial in Independence Square in central Kyiv to pay tribute to those killed in the war launched by the Russian Federation against Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

Relatives of victims, ordinary citizens, as well as Ukrainian and European officials marked four years since the start of the invasion, honoring the soldiers who died defending Ukraine.

Ukrainians say they now understand the war more deeply than ever, and their determination to resist remains strong. They pray for those on the front line and continue to donate to support the army.

Maria, who lives in Kyiv but was in Irpin when the invasion began, recalls fleeing the city as Russian forces advanced.

'Today we live thinking one day at a time. We want to resist, but we don't have an optimistic expectation for the end of the war. God gave us life and we live it every day, we smile, we rejoice, we work, we donate to the army. It's all we can do. God saved me from Irpin the day after the Russians entered. We met all the enemy troops coming towards us. We were traveling in a few cars and just because the invasion was at the beginning and we were civilians, we were not shot and we made it to Zhytomyr, to our parents,' she told AGERPRES.

Alina, who was in Bucha four years ago, says the war has changed people spiritually.

'We have all become closer to God, and we keep going only thanks to our faith and understanding that only God can save us,' she confessed.

Residents say the constant night-time air-raid alarms, cold apartments and daily uncertainty have taken a toll, especially on children.

Oksana, the mother of a seven-year-old, describes life under bombardment: 'Life after the start of the war has changed enormously and has had a decisive impact on our state of mind, not only for adults but for children too. I see this in my son. He is seven. It's very hard for him to cope with the alarms, and all these threats affect him. Going to school is very difficult. Children often have to study from home. People's lives have changed a lot. Many have been forced to change jobs because we have to take care of our children. You can see generators running everywhere. This whole winter we were practically without heating. We had 12 degrees Celsius in our apartments. Our only salvation were power banks, which allowed us to charge our phones so we could communicate and have access to the internet. We dream of the end of the war, of a life without alarms and explosions, so that we can finally breathe freely.'

The four-year anniversary of the onset of the war was marked in Kyiv by the presence of numerous foreign delegations. Alongside President Volodymyr Zelensky, leaders attending the ceremony on Maidan (Independence Square) included European Council President António Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Finland's President Alexander Stubb, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, the Prime Minister of Iceland, Kristrun Frostdattir, the Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen, the Prime Minister of Sweden, Ulf Kristersson, the Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Store, but also the Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas.

During the officials' presence in Independence Square, public access and traffic were restricted as Ukrainian authorities implemented heightened security measures. AGERPRES (RO - editing by: Catalin Alexandru; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)