On the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the World Council of Churches has welcomed reported signs of progress toward the cessation of violence and joined Pope Leo in calling for an end to the war.

WCC general secretary Rev. Jerry Pillay said that the global fellowship hopes and prays for dialogue to continue, for all parties to engage in good faith, and for the violence to cease.

"Meanwhile, the Ukrainian people have continued to suffer the worst impacts of Russia's illegal aggression," he said.

"Deliberate, systematic, and massive daily attacks have continued against Ukrainian population centers far from the frontline, using dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles and hundreds of drones."

Ukrainian electricity infrastructure has been targeted, compounding the suffering of people left without power in the harshest winter conditions, with temperatures as low as –20°C.

"After so much death and destruction, so much suffering, and so many violations of law and morality, this aggression must stop and this war must end," said Pillay.

"We pray to God to open the path to a just and sustainable peace, for justice for the victims of this aggression, and peace to prevail in Ukraine, the region and the world."

On the eve of the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at the Varican, Pope Leo XIV had made "a heartfelt" appeal: "Let the weapons fall silent, let the bombings cease, let an immediate ceasefire be reached, and let dialogue be strengthened to pave the way toward peace."

He called for an end to the war in Ukraine during his Angelus address to thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square on Sunday, Feb. 22, according to America, The Jesuit Review.

The war started on Feb. 24, 2022, when, on the orders of President Vladimir Putin, Russian armed forces invaded Ukraine, a sovereign nation that then had a population of 41 million people, reported America.

"Since then, millions of Ukrainians have been displaced or fled as refugees into neighbouring countries in Europe."

On Feb. 24, in Geneva, the UN's Assistant Secretary-General Matthias Schmale, the Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, noted that, while this is the fifth year since the full-scale invasion, it is the 13th year since the onset of the war in Ukraine.

He told journalists at a UN press conference that the war " continues to inflict immeasurable human suffering, putting millions at risk and generating grave humanitarian needs, while compounding the challenges and costs of recovery."

Schmale said, "We estimate that over 10.8 million people - roughly a quarter of Ukraine's population - remain in need of humanitarian assistance.

This includes up to one million people in territories occupied by the Russian Federation."

He noted that 2025 was the deadliest year for civilians since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

At least 2,500 civilians were killed and over 12,000 injured last year - more than a 30 percent increase compared with 2024.

"You have also heard me speak about Ukraine being among the most mined countries in the world, with almost one quarter of its territory - an area four times the size of Switzerland - potentially contaminated," said Schmale.

"In Kyiv, I am told that there are more than 3,000 high-rise buildings that are now out of order, not inhabitable for the rest of the winter, putting the most vulnerable - older people, people with limited mobility and health conditions, as well as families with children - at serious risk."