The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, addressed residents of Ukrainian cities resisting the Russian occupiers with a lot of courage.
LB.ua publishes the full text of the address:
Great people of great Ukraine! In this video, I want to address Ukrainian cities and the brave people of these cities. I want to address the free south of Ukraine, where the sun shines only to welcome guests, but not casual "tourists" on tanks. To Berdyansk, Kakhovka, Enerhodar, Melitopol, and, of course, Kherson.
I want to address Kherson, where we saw slaves shooting at free people today. Slaves of propaganda that replaces their consciousness. Slaves used to pack everyone in police vans—even an old lady with a clean white poster. And even a girl with an A4 sheet of paper with the only one word - "peace."
These slaves sent by Russia have never seen that many free people in the squares and streets. They have never seen thousands of people not afraid of them, of slaves with weapons in their hands. Slaves that see freedom as savagery and as danger. They feel fear. The fear that propagandists know how to turn into hatred. And then these slaves shoot at peaceful, free people.
Kherson, stay strong! We will never forget these photos. Photos and videos from your city. All of us, all 40 million Ukrainians, were there with you, in your streets and squares. Millions and millions of Ukrainians all over the world. We've all seen you stand. We've seen you. All of us have felt that you want to regain your freedom. The land, where, the Chumaks [long-distance Ukrainian traders of XV-XIX] were looking at the Milky Way while going to get salt, this land will not be sweet for enemies.
And as soon as we can reach you, break through to you, every occupier who shot at peaceful Kherson residents just for the blue and yellow color is getting a black stripe.
And the same awaits those green with the fear Russian military, which were driven out today from Enerhodar. Bare-handed peaceful Ukrainians drove the occupiers out.
The black stripe will get the occupiers in Berdyansk, Melitopol, and Kakhovka. It will reach invaders everywhere where they capture our people. Those who they think are organizing the resistance movement. But Ukraine is no Russian. Remember it. There is no need to organize resistance here. For Ukrainians, resistance is a soul characteristic. And I want you, all our Ukrainians in the south, to never think even for a moment that Ukraine does not remember you.
Whenever it is tough, when it hurts, when you resist despite everything and anything, please know that our hearts are broking at this moment because we are not with you.
And we ask God to help you until we can drive the intruders out. Your protests are an exploit. We are lucky that Ukraine has people like you, that all of us are Ukraine.
During this invasion, millions of our people have proved to be heroes. Once ordinary Ukrainians, now they are worriers. Men and women who stand up for our state. Everywhere: in the south, in the east, in the north, in the center, in the west, and abroad. There are so many of them the enemy does not believe. The enemy does not believe that this is the reality.
But we will make them believe. And we will make the enemy memorize that they are not welcome here.
And they never will be. The invaders are not welcome in Kyiv, which rises bravely and proudly above the Dnipro. Nor in Kharkiv ... A proud, tidy, educated Kharkiv. Kharkiv, which they beat and hit, but it does not surrender. Nor Chernihiv. Ancient Chernihiv which has not experienced such atrocities as from the Russian military since the time of the Mongol-Tatar Horde.
Sumy, Okhtyrka and Lebedyn ... Izium, Derhachi ... Volnovakha, Popasna ... Borodianka, Hostomel, Makariv ... Mykolaiv ...
Mariupol! Hardworking and honest city! Mariupol. The city, which the occupiers are simply destroying. They are burning it to ashes. But the city will outlive all of them. All those insignificant slaves who do not know how to care for their own country. For their own people. But they invade other people's home.
We are fighting for every Ukrainian! And we remember everyone! We are grateful to everyone. We are grateful both to people and to these beautiful cities. Cities as Lviv, Frankivsk, Khmelnytskyi, Chernivtsi, Ternopil, Lutsk, our Uzhgorod ... Kropyvnytskyi, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih ... Vinnytsia, Rivne ... Cherkasy, Poltava ... Odessa!
We are grateful to those who may not be mentioned in speeches. But who cares about our future. About Ukraine. And about freedom - for each of us. Who accepts people who have been forced to leave their homes. Who works for defense. Who sends humanitarian aid. Who houses the evacuated businesses. Who heals, who helps. To all of us, and therefore to ourselves.
Great people of great Ukraine!
I do not say "A great Ukraine" by accident. I say it because I address everyone in our country and those who live abroad. In cities and villages. Those who are free or live on temporarily occupied territories such as Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk. In these territories, the Ukrainians also must fight for freedom and do not wait.
I address all the Ukrainians from all over the world. Do everything to protect our state.
To save our people. Fight. Fight and help. Chase these slaves! Chase the occupiers! That Ukraine lived. And we lived with it.
Free and peaceful Ukraine that we love so much. Glory to Ukraine!
