On February 24, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, Ukraine celebrates the National Day of Prayer, and the world celebrates World Animal Sterilization Day and the Birthday of the Lottery. This day has left a noticeable mark in the history of different countries and continents in different years – from wars and diplomatic decisions to technical innovations and state transformations.
The beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine
On February 24, 2022, at around four in the morning, Russia launched massive missile strikes on the territory of Ukraine. The first explosions were heard in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Odessa, as well as in border regions. Russian troops entered from the north through the territory of Belarus, from the east through Luhansk and Donetsk regions, from the south from the side of temporarily occupied Crimea. Military airfields, ammunition depots, air defense systems and infrastructure facilities were hit. On the same day, martial law was introduced in Ukraine and general mobilization was declared.
In the first hours of the offensive, Russian units tried to quickly advance to Kyiv, in particular through the Chernobyl exclusion zone. Fighting began for the Gostomel airport, which was to become a key point for landing troops. Part of the southern territories was occupied in the first days. Millions of people were forced to leave their homes, and long queues formed to leave major cities. Ukrainian defense forces mounted resistance along the entire front line, which thwarted the hopes of quickly capturing the capital.
Tragic facts
On the first day of the invasion, Russian troops captured the Chernobyl nuclear power plant site, and the station’s personnel worked under the control of the occupiers for more than three weeks without rotation, which created risks for Europe’s nuclear safety.
The battles for Zmiiniy Island in the Black Sea became one of the first symbols of resistance, and the phrase of a Ukrainian border guard in response to the demand to surrender quickly spread around the world and was officially confirmed by the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
On the day of the invasion, hacker attacks accompanied the military operations: a massive spread of the WhisperGate malware was recorded, which destroyed data on the computers of Ukrainian institutions.
The Ukrainian plane with the largest cargo capacity in the world, the An-225 Mriya, was destroyed during the battles for the airport in Gostomel, which was a great loss for world aviation.
In the first days of the invasion, more than 100 thousand citizens signed up for territorial defense units, and civilians massively joined in weaving camouflage nets and making Molotov cocktails.
On February 24, satellite images captured a long column of Russian military equipment stretching for tens of kilometers towards Kyiv, but it never reached the capital due to logistical problems and resistance from Ukrainian forces.
In the first hours of the invasion, Ukrainian anti-aircraft units retained a significant part of the aircraft and air defense systems, despite strikes on airfields, which allowed them to continue to control the airspace over a large part of the country.
According to the United Nations, in the first week of the war, the number of refugees from Ukraine exceeded one million, which was the fastest growth in the migration crisis in Europe since World War II.
National Day of Prayer
On February 12, 2025, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted Resolution No. 12412 on the establishment of the National Day of Prayer, which will be celebrated annually on February 24, the anniversary of the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine. The document designated this date as a national memorial day. The decision was supported by the majority of people’s deputies and came into force after its official publication.
The National Day of Prayer was introduced to honor the memory of those who died as a result of the war, support military personnel and civilians, as well as to focus on joint prayer nationwide. On this day, religious communities of different faiths hold services in accordance with their traditions. The date is fixed in the calendar of memorial days of Ukraine and will be celebrated annually on February 24.
Interesting facts
There are more than 30 thousand religious organizations in Ukraine, which makes it one of the most religiously diverse countries in Europe, where communities of dozens of faiths and directions are officially registered.
After the start of the full-scale war, the practice of interfaith prayers with the participation of clergy from different churches, in particular the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine, emerged in Ukrainian cities.
On February 24, 2022, the bells of many churches in different regions of Ukraine rang simultaneously as a sign of alarm and a call to prayer, and this tradition is preserved on the anniversary of the invasion.
The Constitution of Ukraine enshrines the principle of separation of church and state, however, the state has the right to establish memorable days related to the spiritual life of society.
During martial law, military chaplains officially become part of the structure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the institution of chaplaincy was legally regulated by a separate law even before the creation of the National Day of Prayer.
National days of prayer exist in different countries of the world, in particular in the USA, where such a tradition was initiated back in the 18th century by a decision of the Continental Congress.
In Ukraine, February 24 is already a Day of National Mourning in many communities, and the establishment of a National Day of Prayer has combined the spiritual and memorial dimensions of this date at the state level.
World Animal Sterilization Day
This day is celebrated every year on the last Tuesday of February. This initiative originated in the USA in the early 1990s with the support of animal protection organizations and the veterinary community. The goal is to reduce the number of homeless animals through surgical sterilization and castration, as well as to inform owners about the consequences of uncontrolled reproduction of dogs and cats. The date changes every year according to the calendar.
On this day, information campaigns are held in different countries and affordable sterilization programs are organized. The method is considered one of the most effective ways to humanely regulate the number of animals. Veterinary studies indicate a decrease in the risk of mammary tumors in females and diseases of the reproductive system in males after the operation. The practice is supported by international animal protection organizations and local communities, including in Ukraine.
Interesting facts
According to international organizations, there are over 200 million stray dogs and cats in the world, and the main reason for their increase is uncontrolled breeding of domestic animals.
The initiator of this day was the American actress Doris Day, who actively supported animal protection programs and financed sterilization campaigns.
In many cities of Ukraine, the system of capture-sterilization-vaccination-return operates, which is provided for by national rules for the treatment of stray animals and is used as an alternative to their destruction.
Sterilized stray dogs in Ukraine often have special clips or ear tags that confirm the operation and vaccination against rabies.
In Switzerland, legislation requires cat owners to take measures to prevent uncontrolled reproduction if the animal has access to the street.
Studies by veterinary associations in the United States have shown that neutering a cat before the first heat can reduce the risk of developing mammary tumors by more than 80 percent.
In Ukraine, the issue of rabies vaccination of animals is coordinated by the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection of Ukraine, which also monitors compliance with veterinary requirements for keeping pets.
In some European countries, municipalities compensate for part of the cost of neutering pets, since the costs of shelters and trapping significantly exceed the cost of preventive operations.
Birthday of the Lottery
This day is celebrated in connection with the holding of one of the first documented state lotteries in Europe in the 15th century. In 1466, the city of Bruges organized a raffle to support the city community, which is considered one of the early examples of a public lottery. The idea quickly spread to other European countries as a way to raise money for the budget without raising taxes.
Over time, lotteries have evolved into state and private lottery systems with clear rules and controls. At various historical periods, they have financed the construction of roads, bridges, educational institutions, and cultural facilities. In Ukraine, lottery activities are regulated by the state, and operators operate on the basis of licenses. The birthday of the lottery does not have the official status of a public holiday, but is used as an opportunity to remember the history of gambling and its impact on the economy.
Interesting facts
One of the oldest continuous state lotteries in the world is the Staatsloterij in the Netherlands, founded in 1726, and it continues to operate to this day.
In the United States, part of the funds from lotteries are directed to funding education, and the first colonial lotteries helped build roads and even supported educational institutions, including Harvard University.
During the reign of Elizabeth I in England in 1569, a state lottery was held to raise funds for the development of ports and strengthening the fleet.
In the 18th century, lotteries in France financed the construction of a military school, where Napoleon Bonaparte later studied.
In Ukraine, state lotteries received modern legal regulation after the adoption of a special law in 2012, and the activities of operators are controlled by the Ministry of Finance.
The largest win in the history of world lotteries was recorded in the Powerball game in the USA and exceeded $ 2 billion.
In China, prototypes of the lottery existed more than two thousand years ago, and the funds collected were used to finance large-scale infrastructure projects, including sections of the Great Wall.
In many countries of the world, the probability of winning the main prize in national lotteries is one chance in tens or even hundreds of millions, which mathematically makes them one of the least likely ways to get a large income.
Historical events on this day
1457 — the village of Repinne on the territory of the modern Transcarpathian region is first mentioned in written sources, which indicates the existence of an organized community here in the middle of the 15th century and the entry of these lands into the system of medieval legal relations.
1466 — in the city of Bruges, which is now located in Belgium, one of the first documented public lotteries in Europe was held, organized by the widow of the artist Jan van Eyck to raise funds for city needs.
1525 — the Battle of Pavia took place between the troops of the French King Francis I and the army of Emperor Charles V, which ended with the defeat of France and the capture of the monarch and changed the balance of power in Western Europe.
1582 — Pope Gregory XIII signed the bull Inter gravissimas, which reformed the calendar system and initiated the transition from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, which later became generally accepted in most countries of the world.
1656 — The Russian Orthodox Church introduced mandatory three-finger baptism and condemned the two-finger rite, which caused a deep split among believers and the emergence of the Old Believers movement.
1768 — An agreement was signed in Warsaw between Russia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth on the rights of religious minorities, which guaranteed equality in civil rights for Orthodox and Protestants, while at the same time consolidating Russia’s political influence in the internal affairs of Poland.
1807 — Pope Pius VII issued the bull In universalis Ecclesiae regimine, which restored the Galician Metropolis, approved Metropolitan Antony Angelovich, and recognized its canonical rights.
1824 — The British government declared war on Burma, which marked the beginning of the First Anglo-Burmese War and the expansion of British influence in Southeast Asia.
1881 — Construction of the Panama Canal began, a large-scale engineering project that later connected the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and changed global trade routes.
1887 — An international telephone line was established between Paris and Brussels, which was an important step in the development of telecommunications in Europe.
1918 — Estonia declared independence, laying the foundation for the creation of a nation-state after the collapse of the Russian Empire.
1919 — Representatives of the governments of Ukraine and Poland signed an armistice agreement, trying to stabilize the situation in the context of military conflicts in Eastern Europe.
1920 — The first major public speech by activists of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, later known as the NSDAP, took place in Munich.
1938 — The first toothbrushes with nylon bristles went on sale, replacing natural bristles and ushering in a new era in the production of hygiene products.
1942 — The Voice of America radio station began broadcasting, initially in German, as an information resource for audiences in Europe during World War II.
1946 — Juan Perón won the presidential election in Argentina, ushering in a period of profound socio-economic transformation in the country.
1955 — A defense treaty was signed in Baghdad between Iraq and Turkey, which was later joined by Great Britain, Iran, and Pakistan, creating a military-political alliance in the Middle East.
1961 — Orly Airport in Paris was inaugurated, becoming one of France’s key aviation hubs.
1972 — The Soviet nuclear submarine K-19 suffered an accident that killed sailors and once again demonstrated the risks of the nuclear fleet.
1985 — The last elections to the Supreme Soviets of the union and autonomous republics and local councils of people’s deputies were held in the USSR before the start of large-scale political changes.
1991 — During the Gulf War, multinational forces launched a ground operation against Iraqi forces in Kuwait.
1992 — Ukraine established diplomatic relations with Bangladesh, expanding its international cooperation after independence.
1999 — Latvia became a full member of the World Trade Organization, integrating into the global economic system.
2008 — Fidel Castro announced his resignation as Prime Minister of Cuba, ending his long-standing rule.
