Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky today marked the tenth year of the “Maidan Square Revolution” with a message on what he considered the Ukrainians’ “first counteroffensive” against Russia.
“10 years ago we started a new page in our struggle,” Zelensky wrote on the digital messaging system Telegram.
“Ten years ago, the Ukrainians launched the first counter-offensive against arbitrariness, against attempts to deprive us of a European future and against slavery,” the head of state emphasized.
Zelensky added that the process started on Maidan – the square in Kiev where the 2013 protests were concentrated – “continued every year” with the aim of getting Ukraine to fulfill its “European destiny”.
The Ukrainian head of state called for unity to “manage to continue on the same path” and “congratulated” Ukrainians on the date known as “Day of Dignity and Freedom.”
Ten years ago we started a new chapter in our struggle. Ten years ago, the Ukrainians launched their first counter-offensive. Against lawlessness and an attempt to rob us of our European future. Against unfreedom.
Year after year, step by step, we do everything we can to ensure that… pic.twitter.com/HkEarZkbJB
– Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 21, 2023
Today, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, highlighted the ten years of “dignity”, “pride” and the “struggle for freedom” of Ukrainians.
The Maidan Revolution changed the future of Ukraine forever.
Ten years later, on this day of dignity and freedom, we proudly stand together with Ukraine on the brink of EU accession negotiations.
As Ukraine defends our values, our support for every missile Russia launches grows stronger pic.twitter.com/3NxhhESPMU
– Roberta Metsola (@EP_President) November 21, 2023
On the day that marks ten years since the start of the demonstrations in Kiev, the two leaders of the European bloc stressed that the European Union is “on the verge” of starting talks on Ukraine’s accession.
“Ten years of dignity. Ten years of pride. Ten years of fighting for freedom. The cold November nights of ‘Euromaidan’ changed Europe forever, even if Europe did not realize it at the time,” Ursula von der Leyen said in a speech. message recorded on video and distributed via social media.
Ten years of dignity.
Of pride.
Of the pursuit of freedom.
The cold winter nights of Euromaidan changed Europe forever.
Today it is clearer than ever.
Ukraine’s future lies in the European Union.
The future the Maidan fought for has finally begun. pic.twitter.com/Z0xD4Ss3Qs
– Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) November 21, 2023
The uprising on Maidan Square started with a protest against the non-compliance of the then (pro-Russian) head of state Viktor Yanukovych, who did not sign the association agreement with the European Union.
Yanukovych preferred to remain under the influence of Russian head of state Vladimir Putin, which provoked protest demonstrations that were suppressed by the police.
More than a hundred demonstrators died as a result of the protests.
In February 2014, the pressure of the demonstrations forced Yanukovych to flee to Russia.
Moscow responded with a military operation that annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea and activated separatist militias in the “Independent Republics of Eastern Ukraine,” where a war began between groups loyal to Moscow and the Ukrainian army for control of territory .
Russia says it is holding back Ukrainian forces at the Dnieper River
This Tuesday, Russia stated that its forces are frustrating the attempts of Ukrainian forces to cross the Dnieper River, in the Kherson region, and establish an operational bridge on the Left Bank.
According to a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense, units of the 810th Naval Brigade of the Black Sea Fleet are “frustrating all attempts to land by Ukrainian forces on the islands and on the left bank of the Dnieper River.”
“The enemy is suffering daily casualties, including dead and wounded, and is also losing military equipment on the right bank of the Dnieper as a result of its frustrated attempts to land on the islands at the mouth of the river,” a military statement said.
The Ukrainian military command said today that its troops are holding positions reached in recent days on the left bank of the Dnieper, between three and eight kilometers from the river, Kiev said.
However, military experts believe that this progress is still insufficient to establish an operational bridge on the southern bank of the Dnieper, where the isthmus of the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, arises.
Source: DN
