Globe on brink of nuclear catastrophe: Zelenskyy. Ukraine live updates.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelinskyy marked the 31st anniversary of his country’s independence from the Soviet Union with a fiery speech Wednesday pledging to drive the Russian occupiers out of his battered country.

Surrender is not an option, said Zelenskyy, standing among burned-out Russian tanks in downtown Kyiv.

“Donbas is Ukraine. And we will return it, whatever the path may be. Crimea is Ukraine. And we will return it. Whatever the path may be,” he said. “You don’t want your soldiers to die? Free our lands. You don’t want your mothers to cry? Free our lands. These are our simple and clear terms.”

Zelenskyy spoke as the Biden administration announced nearly $3 billion in long-term aid to train and equip Ukrainian forces struggling to beat back the Russian invasion that began six months ago today.

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Other developments

►Zelensky, speaking at the UN, called for the International Atomic Energy Agency to take “permanent control” of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, now occupied by Russia. “Russia has put the world on the brink of radiation catastrophe,” he said.

Russia’s eight-year occupation of Crimea has cost Ukraine about $118 billion, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal estimated. He said Russia has converted the peninsula into a “huge military base.”

►War crimes in Ukraine may be unprecedented. So is the country’s push for swift justice. USA TODAY examines the tragedies unfolding in Ukraine.

►Pope Francis marked the half-year anniversary of the invasion by decrying the “insanity” of war and lamenting that innocent civilians on both sides were paying a high price price.

►The U.S. issued a security alert citing “information that Russia is stepping up efforts to launch strikes against Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure and government facilities in the coming days.”

Air raid sirens scream across nation

Air raid sirens wailed across most of Ukraine on Wednesday as Russian rockets pummeled areas of the battered nation on its Independence Day. Explosions were reported in Chernihiv region northeast of Kyiv and Poltava Dnipropetrovsk to the southeast. Ukraine authorities had warned residents not to hold large gatherings to mark the holiday amid fears of Russian strikes, and mass celebrations planned in many cities were canceled.

Residents of Kyiv woke up to air raid sirens, but there were no immediate airstrikes. Zelenskyy urged Ukrainians to observe curfews and pay attention to the sirens.

“Russian provocations and brutal strikes are a possibility,” Zelenskyy said.

US pledges almost $3 billion in military aid

The Biden administration on Wednesday unveiled a $2.8 billion long-term aid plan for the Ukraine military that the White House said would allow Ukraine to acquire air defense systems, artillery systems and munitions, counter-unmanned aerial systems, and radars to ensure it can continue to defend itself over the long term.

“I know this independence day is bittersweet for many Ukrainians as thousands have been killed or wounded, millions have been displaced from their homes, and so many others have fallen victim to Russian atrocities and attacks,” President Biden said in a statement. “But six months of relentless attacks have only strengthened Ukrainians’ pride in themselves, in their country, and in their 31 years of independence.

Ukrainian Finance Minister Sergei Marchenko called the grant “an important gift for our country.”

Europe pays homage to Ukraine on battered nation’s Independence Day

European leaders pledged support for Ukraine on its Independence Day. Leaders paid tribute to the sacrifices and courage of the Ukrainian people, voiced their resolve to keep supplying Ukraine with weapons and reviled Moscow for its attack on the neighboring nation. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz rebuked the Kremlin and predicted Ukraine “will drive away the dark shadow of war because it is strong and brave, because it has friends in Europe and all over the world.” French President Emmanuel Macron, in a video message, said the defense of Ukraine meant “refusing to allow international relations to be ruled by violence and chaos.”

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted a photo of himself visiting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv: “What happens in Ukraine matters to us all. That is why I am in Kyiv today. That is why the UK will continue to stand with our Ukrainian friends. I believe Ukraine can and will win this war.”

Estonia dismisses Russia’s claims over car bombing outside Moscow

Estonian Foreign Affairs Minister Urmas Reinsalu dismissed as a “provocation” the Kremlin’s claims that the perpetrator of a deadly car bombing outside Moscow had fled to Estonia.

Reinsalu said on Estonian TV that the claim was the latest “in a very long line of provocations by the Russian Federation.” The claim was an attempt by the Russian regime to put pressure on Estonia for its support of Ukraine in the war, Reinsalu.

The U.S. State Department issued an alert Tuesday urging Americans to “depart Ukraine now,” citing concerns that Russia will increase missile strikes on civilian and government structures.

The warning comes amid a public outcry in Russia over a car bomb that killed a hardline Russian commentator outside Moscow on Saturday night. Hundreds of people lined up Tuesday to pay tribute to Darya Dugina, 29, the daughter of right-wing Russian political philosopher Alexander Dugin, who was widely believed to be the intended target.

Ukraine banned large public gatherings that had been planned for Wednesday, Ukraine’s Independence Day marking its break from the Soviet Union in 1991. However, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was defiant at a Flag Day event Tuesday.

“No one wants to die, but no one is afraid of Russia, and this is the most important signal,” he said.

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