Keir Starmer Marks Fourth Anniversary of Ukraine War with Emotional Bucha Memories and Announces Major Sanctions Package in London

Four years ago, many people thought Ukraine would fall in a matter of weeks.

That was the widespread prediction when Russian forces crossed the border in February 2022.

Fast forward to 24 February 2026, and the war is still grinding on — bloodier, costlier, and far more complex than anyone first imagined.

Marking the fourth anniversary of the invasion, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer addressed his Cabinet with a speech that was less about ceremony and more about memory, resolve, and hard realities.

His message was clear: Britain’s support for Ukraine is not wavering.

But this wasn’t just about politics. It was personal.

Bucha and the Images That Won’t Fade

Starmer recalled visiting Kyiv in the early days of the war and traveling to Bucha, a place that has since become synonymous with alleged war crimes.

He spoke about seeing, with his own eyes, the roads and ditches where civilians were reportedly found handcuffed, blindfolded, and executed.

These were not abstract figures in a briefing paper.

They were people from tight-knit communities.

Families were left to gather bodies themselves, placing them into shopping trolleys and transporting them to local churches for burial in mass graves.

The massacre in Bucha, widely condemned by Western leaders and investigated by international bodies, marked a turning point in global opinion.

It hardened sanctions, increased military aid, and reshaped how the war was viewed in Europe and beyond.

A Hospital Visit That Told Another Story

The second memory Starmer shared came from a hospital in Kyiv.

He described seeing severe burn injuries on soldiers returning from the front — wounds unlike anything he had encountered before.

The human cost of the war has been staggering.

Tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops have been killed or wounded.

Civilian casualties continue to rise, especially following sustained missile and drone attacks on infrastructure.

Yet in the same trip, he also visited a primary school.

There, he met children as young as five who had lost both parents to the conflict.

That contrast — burned soldiers and orphaned children — captured the war’s dual brutality: frontline devastation and generational trauma.

Freezing Homes and Targeted Energy Attacks

Starmer also pointed to Russia’s systematic attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid.

Over the past two winters, Moscow has repeatedly targeted power stations and heating facilities.

In temperatures plunging to minus 18 degrees Celsius, millions of Ukrainians were left without electricity or heat.

Energy infrastructure has become a strategic battleground.

Blackouts have affected not only homes but hospitals, schools, and water systems.

Western allies have responded with air defence systems and emergency generators, but the strain remains immense.

Ukraine’s Resilience Against the Odds

When the invasion began, many analysts predicted a swift Russian victory.

Even some Western intelligence assessments expected Kyiv to fall within days.

Instead, Ukrainian forces — under the leadership of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — mounted fierce resistance.

The failed Russian advance on Kyiv in 2022 reshaped the trajectory of the war.

Starmer pushed back strongly against the narrative that Russia is winning.

He cited figures suggesting that in the past year, Russia captured less than 1 percent of Ukrainian territory, at enormous human cost.

Independent estimates have placed Russian military casualties in the hundreds of thousands since 2022.

While front lines have shifted incrementally, the broader picture is one of attrition rather than decisive breakthrough.

A Coalition and a Harder Line on Sanctions

To pursue what he called a “just and lasting peace,” Starmer highlighted the formation of a “Coalition of the Willing” — a group of allied nations working on long-term security guarantees for Ukraine.

Sanctions remain a central pillar of the UK’s strategy.

On this anniversary, Britain announced its largest sanctions package since 2022, targeting around 300 Russian energy companies.

The focus is not just on major corporations but also on what’s known as Russia’s “shadow fleet” — tankers allegedly used to circumvent oil export restrictions.

Since the war began, the UK, EU, and US have imposed thousands of sanctions aimed at limiting Russia’s access to global finance, technology, and energy markets.

While Russia has adapted in some areas, sanctions have constrained its economy and reshaped its trade flows, pushing it closer to countries like China and India.

Why This War Isn’t Distant for Britain

Starmer made another point that often gets overlooked: this war is not “far away” for the United Kingdom.

Energy prices surged dramatically in 2022 following Russia’s invasion and subsequent disruption of gas supplies to Europe.

UK households saw bills soar.

Though prices have stabilised somewhat, they remain significantly higher than pre-war levels.

Inflation spikes and cost-of-living pressures have left a lasting political and economic impact.

Beyond economics, the war has redefined European security. NATO has expanded, with Finland and Sweden joining the alliance.

Defence spending has increased across the continent.

The conflict has revived Cold War–style tensions between Russia and the West.

For Britain, support for Ukraine is framed not only as solidarity but as a defence of democracy, sovereignty, and the principle that borders cannot be changed by force.

The Bigger Question of Peace

Everyone says they want peace. But what kind of peace?

Starmer stressed that it must be both just and lasting — not a temporary pause that allows Russia to regroup.

Kyiv insists any deal must respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Moscow, under President Vladimir Putin, continues to claim annexed territories as Russian land.

Negotiations have stalled repeatedly over the past four years. Trust is low.

Military offensives and counteroffensives have replaced diplomacy more often than not.

That is the deadlock defining year four.

What’s Next?

The immediate future will likely revolve around three fronts: military support, sanctions enforcement, and diplomatic manoeuvring.

Western nations are expected to deepen long-range weapons and air defence assistance to Ukraine.

The UK’s intensified sanctions targeting energy exports and shadow shipping networks suggest a strategy of squeezing Russia’s revenue streams further.

At the same time, pressure is building for renewed diplomatic channels.

War fatigue is real — in Ukraine, in Russia, and across Europe.

The shape of any eventual settlement will depend heavily on battlefield realities in 2026 and the political calculations in Moscow, Kyiv, Washington, and London.

For now, the message from Downing Street is simple: support continues, and compromise without security guarantees is off the table.

Summary

Four years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Prime Minister Keir Starmer marked the anniversary by recalling harrowing visits to Bucha and Kyiv, highlighting the human suffering caused by the war.

He praised Ukraine’s resilience, rejected claims that Russia is winning, and announced the UK’s largest sanctions package since 2022, targeting hundreds of Russian energy companies and shadow fleet operations.

Starmer emphasised that the conflict affects Britain directly through economic pressures and shared democratic values, insisting that any resolution must be both just and lasting.