“A year of pain, sadness, faith and unity”. Thus he has defined Volodimir Zelensky he first year of war in Ukraine on the anniversary of the Russian invasion, assuring in turn that this will be the year of victory for his country. “This year, we have remained invincible. We know that 2023 will be the year of our victory!”, proclaimed the Ukrainian president.

A message in which he also highlighted that on February 24 when his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, launched the invasion, “millions” of Ukrainians “made a choice” by defending the blue and yellow flag instead of flying the white flag of surrender. “We do not run away, but we face each other. Resisting and fighting”has underlined.

Zelenski has published this message this Friday on his social networks, along with a video with images of war victims, the wounded and displacedthe struggle of the Ukrainian Army and the multiple demonstrations in different cities of the world in support of Kyiv.

In addition, the Ukrainian president has led a speech to the nation in which he recalled what February 24, 2022 was like: “A year ago, on this day, from this very place, at about 07:00 in the morning, I addressed you with a brief statement. It lasted only 67 seconds. It contained the two most important things, then and now. That Russia started a full-scale war against us. And that we are strong,” he asserted.

A fateful day that Zelenski has remembered 12 months later as “the longest of our lives” and the “hardest in our modern history.” “We woke up early and we haven’t slept since then”, he has asserted, defending in turn that this has also been “a year of invincibility”, “resilience, care and courage”by resisting from “threats, bombardments” to “blackouts and cold”.

“We fought, we fought fiercely every day. We held on the second day and then the third. They predicted we would last three days. They threatened that in 72 hours we would not exist. but we survived on the fourth day, then on the fifth, and today we have been on our feet for exactly one year. We know that every tomorrow is worth fighting for,” he recounted.

Thus, he has added that “everyone saw the true nature of the enemy” and has listed numerous attacks perpetrated by Russia, such as the bombing of maternity hospitalsto the theater of Mariúpol or the Kramatorsk railway station. “We saw Bucha, Irpin, Borodianka. The whole world clearly realized what the Russian world really means, what Russia is capable of,” she denounced.

“We received new blows every day, we learned about new tragedies every day, but we endured thanks to those who gave everything they had every day,” Zelenski said, while thanking the Armed Forces, the rescuers or emergency services, as well as partners and allies who have supported Kyiv this year.

“Ukraine has surprised the world. Ukraine has inspired the world. Ukraine has united the world“, he has sentenced.