Zelenskyy addresses defenders from the front line: We must defeat Russia and achieve peace

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking from a command post near the front line, has extended greetings to military personnel on Defenders' Day, emphasising that Ukraine draws its resilience directly from the front.

Source: video by Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Quote: "Day 1,681 of the full-scale war. A daily struggle, hard work. Despite the attacks, the strikes, the pain, Ukraine is holding on, destroying the occupier and achieving what Ukraine needs – all of this is thanks to our defenders holding on. I thank you – everyone who is defending our life, defending our values, Ukraine's right to exist, and the future of our entire beautiful country."

Details: Flanked by military commanders, Zelenskyy noted that thousands of Ukrainian warriors "stand as a shield so that Ukraine remains our home".

He also paid tribute to those who have fallen in the war. "Vitalii Skakun, Da Vinci, Nazarii Hryntsevych (Hrinka), Juice, Andrii Verkhohliad, Iryna Tsybukh, Petrychenko, Oleksandr Matsiievskyi and many other names of this war. And every Ukrainian family, every one of us has names just like this – names you truly want to remember and mourn, names you are proud of and grateful to. All of this is about our heroes who gave their lives so that Ukraine could live. We remember every one of them. We will not forget a single one," the president said.

Zelenskyy concluded: "And we absolutely must defeat Russia, achieve peace, preserve our Ukraine and protect Ukraine."

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