I’m a war reporter in Ukraine: 2-years after invasion here’s my verdict as I mourn brave pal

On the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine The Sun’s defence editor Jerome Starkey reflects what he’s witnessed on the frontlines, friends he’s lost and what the future holds The first 12 months of this war were marked by Ukraine’s spectacular successes. President Zelensky refused to flee Kyiv with the immortal line “I need ammo not a ride”. His troops repelled an assault on the capital then forced Russia to make a series of humiliating retreats. First Putin abandoned his march on Kyiv. Then the Russian frontlines lines collapsed in Kharkiv, in the northeast, before finally Moscow surrendered its only positions on the west bank of the Dnipro river in Kherson. Throughout that winter Ukraine endured and thwarted Moscow’s attempt to destroy its heating and energy infrastructure. The second year was grimmer. The meat grinder town of Bakhmut – which had become a symbol of Ukraine’s resistance – fell to Russia’s Wagner mercenaries in May. Then Ukraine