UkrainePresident of Russia Vladimir Green he was full of praise today after delivering a touching speech in which he swore Vladimir PutinThe forces of ‘will see our faces, not our backs, if they choose to attack – hours before Russia began its full-scale invasion of his country.
Speaking in Russian to address ordinary Russians on national television in the early hours of this morning, Zelensky said he had tried to call Putin directly but was met with “silence”.
He said his country and Russia did not need a war, “not a cold war, not a hot war.” It is not a hybrid.
The former comedian and actor then gloomily warned Putin: “But if we are attacked, if we face an attempt to take away our country, our freedom, our lives and the lives of our children, we will defend ourselves.
“When you attack us, you will see our faces. Not our backs, but our faces.
Today, Mr. Zelenski was widely praised on social media for his bold reaction.
One man said it was “the most touching thing” they had heard in “a long time”, adding that it would be “discussed and remembered”.
Another said the president’s words were “incredibly touching”, while others said they were “heartbreaking human”.
A fourth said Zelensky’s speech was “incredible” and added that his actions reflected “everything Putin was not”.
However, shortly after giving his speech, Putin signaled that he was completely ignoring his colleague’s words when he ordered an attack around 5 a.m., firing a volley of rocket fire before launching a full-scale attack by land and air.
Tonight, it became clear that Russian forces had taken control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The video reveals Russian tanks and armored vehicles facing a destroyed reactor just 60 miles north of the capital Kiev.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was praised today after delivering an exciting speech swearing that Vladimir Putin’s forces would “see our faces, not our backs” if they choose to attack, hours before Russia’s full-scale operation begins. its invasion of his country
Mr Zelensky delivered his speech in a suit and standing in front of a map of Ukraine.
Choosing to speak in Russian in the hope that ordinary Russians would see the broadcast, he said: “Today I started a telephone conversation with the President of the Russian Federation. The result was silence.
“Although the silence must be in Donbass. That is why I want to address the people of Russia today.
“I am addressing you not as President, I am addressing you as a citizen of Ukraine. We are separated by more than 2000 km of common border. Along this border are your troops, almost 200,000 soldiers, thousands of military vehicles.
“Your leaders have approved them to take a step forward, to the territory of another country. And this step could be the beginning of a great war on the European continent.
He then spoke excitedly about how Ukrainian soldiers and ordinary citizens would stand and fight if Russia decided to attack.
Then Zelenski added: “The war is a great disaster and this disaster has a high price. With every meaning of that word.
“People are losing money, reputation, quality of life, losing freedom. But the main thing is that people lose their loved ones, they lose themselves.
Today, Mr. Zelenski was widely praised on social media for his bold reaction. One person said it was “the most touching thing” they had heard in a long time, adding that it would be “discussed and remembered”.
He also dismissed Putin’s false claims that Ukraine posed a threat to Russia, and insisted that ordinary Russians “do not want” and “can stop” war.
The former actor added that his words would not be shown on Russian television, but said ordinary Russians “should see it”.
“They need to know the truth, and the truth is that it’s time to stop now before it’s too late,” he said.
“And if Russian leaders do not want to sit with us at the table in the name of peace, they may sit at the table with you.
“Do the Russians want a war?” I would like to know the answer. But the answer depends only on you, citizens of the Russian Federation.
Responding with praise, one user of social networks said: “To Zelenski [sic] the speech in Russian addressed to the Russian people was the most touching thing I have heard in a long time. It will be discussed and remembered for a long time.
Another wrote: “An incredibly moving speech by Ukrainian President Zelensky, addressing his people as well as their Russian neighbors.”
A third said: “This address by Ukrainian President Zelensky is incredible. Mobile, rational, human. Everything Putin was not. Especially the appeal to ordinary Russians, many of whom have family and friends in Ukraine.
A fourth said: “Vladimir Zelensky addresses the Russian people directly with powerful, touching and heartbreaking human speech.”
The president put on a “touching show” and looked “exhausted or almost to tears at times,” another Twitter user said.
The president put on a “touching spectacle” and looked “exhausted or almost to tears at times,” another person said on Twitter.
Zelenski’s bold stance was repeated later today when he gave a press conference at which he changed his suit into a military uniform.
“If you, dear European leaders, dear world leaders, free world leaders, if you do not help us today, if you do not help Ukraine strongly, then tomorrow the war will knock on your door,” he said.
“This is the sound of a new Iron Curtain coming down and closing Russia off the civilized world.”
The rise of the presidency came in 2019, after unexpectedly running in the Ukrainian elections.
He previously pursued a career in comedy and participated as president in the TV show “Servant of the People”.
Born in Krivoy Rog, a Russian-speaking region in southeastern Ukraine, in January 1978, he received a law degree from the Kyiv National University of Economics before becoming an actor.
In Servant of the People, he plays a history teacher who is inadvertently elected president after a video of his anti-corruption character goes viral.
Pictured: Ukrainian comedian and presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelensky reacted at his campaign headquarters after the presidential election in Kiev, Ukraine, on April 21, 2019.
Zelensky’s only previous political role was in the TV show “Servant of the People” (pictured), where he plays a history teacher who was inadvertently elected president of Ukraine after a video of his anti-corruption protagonist went viral.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky holds the Bulava, the Ukrainian symbol of power, during his inauguration ceremony in Kyiv on May 20, 2019.
Like his hero, Zelensky took part in an anti-corruption campaign in 2019 and defeated pro-Russian incumbent President Petro Poroshenko with 73 percent of the vote.
Poroshenko lost to the TV star in all regions of the country, including the West, where he has traditionally enjoyed strong support.
It was a remarkable result of a campaign that began as a joke, but resonated with voters frustrated by poverty, corruption and the five-year war.
Poster for “Servant of the People”, in which the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky plays a major role
At his campaign headquarters, when the exit polls came out, Zelenski said: “I will never disappoint you. Although I am not yet officially president, as a citizen of Ukraine I can say to all post-Soviet countries: “Look at us! Anything is possible!”
But despite his landslide victory, uncertainty remains over how Russian-speaking Zelensky will lead Ukraine and deal with its biggest threat across the border from Russia and its president.
After taking power in 2019, he had to rule forces pulling his country in drastically different directions.
On the one hand, Ukraine is developing relations with the United States, NATO and the European Union. On the other hand, Russia and Putin were desperately trying to stop the distance of the former Soviet state.
All the while, he sought to keep his countrymen calm and demonstrated measured leadership in becoming challenging.
But in recent months, he has faced the biggest challenge of his term as prime minister – the threat of a Russian invasion.
Before the possibility of invasion arose, Zelensky promoted unity between the Ukrainian-speaking and Russian-speaking parts of the country.
He also oversaw the lifting of legal immunity for members of the Ukrainian parliament, as well as the country’s response to the Covid pandemic and the ensuing economic recession.
His critics say he seeks to centralize his personal political power by taking power away from Ukrainian oligarchs.
Zelenski’s bold stance was repeated later today when he gave a press conference at which he changed his suit into a military uniform.
His government has also shut down pro-Russian media in the country and placed main opposition leader Viktor Medvedchuk, who boasts of personal ties to Putin, under house arrest for alleged treason.
Prior to Russia’s invasion, Zelensky looked hot and cold because of the prospect of a Russian attack.
At a news conference before UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited the country a few weeks ago, Zelenski accused Western governments of creating “panic” by repeatedly warning of an invasion.
Yet in a fiery speech at a security conference in Munich last week, Ukraine’s president accused the West of “pacifying” Putin.