Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed Monday that Russian forces in Ukraine will be defeated like Nazism in World War II.
“All the ancient evils that bring back modern Russia will be defeated, just like Nazism,” Zelensky said in a video message posted on social media.
This post comes after Ukrainian forces revealed they shot down 35 drones used in Russia’s attacks, injuring at least five people in Kiev.
In the southern region of Odessa, authorities reported an airstrike that hit a warehouse, injuring three people.
“Just as we destroyed evil together then, now we will jointly destroy a similar evil (…). This evil, although different today, has the same goal: to enslave or to destroy,” the Ukrainian head of state added.
“We will win!” promised Volodymyr Zelensky in this taped speech outside an imposing World War II monument overlooking the Dnieper River in Kiev.
Zelensky insisted, “We will never forget the Ukrainian people’s contribution to the victory over Nazism.”
“We will not allow anyone to appropriate the common victory of the nations of the anti-Hitler coalition,” the Ukrainian president declared.
Zelensky revealed that today he will send to the Verkhovna Rada [parlamento ucraniano] a law to declare May 8 as Victory Day against Nazism in Ukraine, which until now has been celebrated on May 9, just like Russia.
In this way, Zelensky aligns Ukraine with the rest of the European countries, which celebrate the victory of the Allies over Nazism on May 8.
This is what an apartment comes in #Kiev looks like, which has been damaged due to falling debris #Russian drones this night. pic.twitter.com/iDrvcXUDlE
– NEXTA (@nexta_tv) May 8, 2023
May 9 has become a central date for Russian nationalism, which refers to the war against Nazism as the “Great Patriotic War” and only emphasizes the USSR’s role in the victory.
Zelensky again accused Moscow of opposing democratic ideals, accusing the Russians of “aggression and annexation, occupation and deportation, massacre and torture, bombing of cities and burning of villages”.
“We are not going to lose what we have gained, we are going to recover everything that has been captured by the enemy,” he also assured in this 10-minute speech.
Ukraine says it is completing preparations for a major offensive to recapture Russian-held territories to the east and south, as well as Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014.
Drone strikes on both sides have intensified in recent days, a sign that this attack by Kiev is imminent, according to observers.
Source: DN
