Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a defiant message of hope to his people this Christmas, vowing never to back down as his nation continues to be besieged by Russia.
In an address to the nation on Christmas Eve, Zelenskyy urged his compatriots to remain despite the absence of dead or exiled loved ones, power outages, destruction and the threat of shelling from a harsh winter.
Earlier on Christmas Eve, Vladimir Putin claimed at least 10 dead and 55 injured in the city of Kherson as Zelenskyy denounced the “terror” of the attack.
In his address to the nation, the President said: “Tears will be replaced by joy, despair will be replaced by hope and death will be conquered by life.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a defiant message of hope to his people this Christmas, vowing never to back down as his nation continues to be besieged by Russia
In an address to the nation on Christmas Eve, Zelenskyy urged his compatriots to weather a harsh winter despite the absence of dead or exiled loved ones
“We will celebrate our holidays! As always. We will smile and be happy. As always. The difference is only one: we don’t wait for a miracle, we create it ourselves.”
On the day that marked 10 months after the start of the Russian invasion, shells rained around a busy market and lit a fire in the southern port city that Kiev’s forces recaptured in November.
Hours before Zelenskyy’s speech, 10 people were killed and 55 injured by Russian shelling in the city of Kherson.
Despite Russia’s withdrawal from the southern port city in November, Kherson remains within reach of Moscow’s arms and under constant threat.
For many Ukrainians, Christmas this year will be celebrated in the dark and cold, with constant fear of Russian attacks.
Historically, Orthodox Christians in Ukraine, like in Russia, had celebrated Christmas on January 7th.
However, in an attempt to further separate itself from the enemy, Ukraine’s Orthodox Church has allowed communities to celebrate Christmas on December 25 along with most of the western world.
Zelensky said: “Today and all future winter holidays we meet under difficult circumstances”
On the day that marked ten months after the war began, a series of shells rained around a busy Saturday market in Kherson, where a fire broke out
In his address to the nation, the President said, “Tears will be replaced by joy, despair will be followed by hope, and death will be conquered by life.”
Zelenskyy said: “Today and all future winter holidays we meet under difficult circumstances.
“Someone will celebrate the holiday in other people’s houses, but in strangers’ houses – houses … which gave shelter to Ukrainians.
“Someone will hear Shchedryk in another language – in Warsaw, Berlin, London, New York, Toronto and many other cities and countries. And someone will meet this Christmas in captivity.
“Let them remember that we are also coming for our people, we will restore freedom to all Ukrainian men and women.
“Wherever we are, we will be together today. We wish for something. One for all. And we will feel joy. One for all. And we will understand the truth. One for all.’
Zelenskyy also shared a message on Telegram on Saturday condemning the recent Russian attack.
He called the attack “terror…killing for the purpose of intimidation and pleasure”.
“It’s real life in Ukraine… The world needs to see and understand what an absolute evil we are fighting,” he said.
66 cars caught fire in a residential area of the city as a result of the shelling, emergency services said.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blasted Russian “terror” on Saturday after Vladimir Putin ordered shelling that left at least five dead and 20 wounded in the city of Kherson
AFP journalists saw several bodies lying on the ground at the scene, including a man who was killed in his car near the market
The fires were extinguished after 40 minutes, but the number of dead and injured is still being “determined,” Telegram said.
Earlier on Christmas Eve, Russian state media released their own bizarre video message, warning freezing Europeans that they will have to eat their pets next year if they continue to support Ukraine.
It comes after Putin finally called his brutal invasion of Ukraine a “war” — violating his own law against the use of the word.
Previously, the Russian tyrant always referred to the bloody 10-month conflict as a “military special operation” and banned any reference to the true nature of his campaign.
Thousands of Russians have been fined, some jailed and others fined, for calling the invasion a “war” – and now opposition leaders are demanding that Putin suffer the same treatment.
Putin has finally described his brutal invasion of Ukraine as a “war” in violation of his own law
Putin told journalists: “Our goal is not to unwind this flywheel of a military conflict, but on the contrary to end this war.
‘We strive for it and will strive for it.’
His comments seemed to imply a desire to end the conflict, but Ukraine and its Russian enemies fear it is a ruse.
Much of Ukraine is struggling in sub-zero temperatures without heat or electricity after Moscow began targeting power and water systems almost two months ago.
The UN human rights chief has warned that the campaign inflicted “extreme hardship” on Ukrainians this winter and also denounced likely war crimes by Russian forces.