2 yıl önce

Zelenskyy on I-Day: Ukraine reborn, vows to fight until end

"We don't care what army you have, we only care about our land. We will fight for it until the end," Zelenskyy says on the country's 31st Independence Day, which also marks the six-month anniversary of Russia's February 24 offensive.

AFP

Ukraine is commemorating 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told Ukrainians in a speech to mark 31 years of independence that Ukraine was reborn when Russia started its attacks on February 24 and would recapture annexed Crimea and occupied areas in the east.

In the recorded speech aired on Wednesday which marks the six-month anniversary of Russia's offensive, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine no longer saw the war ending when there was peace, but when Kiev was actually victorious.

"A new nation appeared in the world on February 24 at 4 in the morning. It was not born, but reborn. A nation that did not cry, scream or take fright. One that did not flee. Did not give up. And did not forget," he said.

"We don't care what army you have, we only care about our land. We will fight for it until the end," Zelenskyy said. "We have been holding strong for six months. It's tough but we have clenched our fists and we are fighting for our destiny," he added.

The 44-year-old wartime leader delivered the speech in his trademark combat fatigues in front of Kiev's central monument to independence from the Russia-controlled Soviet Union.

"What for us is the end of the war? We used to say: peace. Now we say: victory," he said.

Warnings of possible Russian attacks

Residents of Kiev woke up to air raid sirens as Ukraine observed its Independence Day.

Authorities in the capital banned large-scale gatherings until Thursday, fearing the national holiday might bring particularly heavy Russian missile attacks. Zelenskyy urged the public to be vigilant.

"Russian provocations and brutal strikes are a possibility," Zelenskyy said in a statement. "Please strictly follow the safety rules. Please observe the curfew. Pay attention to the air sirens."

A small number of residents gathered at Kiev's central square, where destroyed Russian tanks and mobile artillery were put on display over the weekend, and the national anthem is played every day at 7am local time.

"I can’t sleep at night because of what I see and hear about what is being done in Ukraine," a retiree who identified herself only by her first name, Tetyana, said, her voice shaking with emotion.

“This is not a war. It is the destruction of the Ukrainian people," she said.

SOURCE: TRTWorld and agencies