‘We Inevitably Rise, We Return, We Continue to
Fight’
The following is the address by Ukraine’s
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered today on the occasion of the fourth anniversary
of Russia’s latest invasion of Ukraine.
Dear Ukrainians!
Today marks
exactly four years since Putin started his three-day push to take Kyiv. And
that, in fact, says a great deal about our resistance, about how Ukraine has
fought all this time. Behind those words stand millions of our people. Behind
those words stand immense courage, incredibly hard work, endurance, and the
long path Ukraine has been pursuing since February 24.
This office –
this small room in the bunker on Bankova Street – this is where I held my first
conversations with world leaders at the start of the war. Here I spoke with
President Biden, and it was right here that I heard: Volodymyr, there is a
threat. You need to leave Ukraine urgently. We are ready to help with that. And
here I replied that I need ammunition, not a ride.
And not because
we are all fearless or made of steel – we are all human beings, and on that
day, every one of us, all Ukrainians, felt fear and pain; many were in shock,
and many did not know what to say. But on some invisible level, all of us knew
that we have no other Ukraine, that this is our home, and all of us understood
what had to be done.
Such was the
choice. The choice that millions of Ukrainians made back then. Our people did
not raise a white flag – they defended the blue and yellow one. And the
occupiers, who thought they would be met here with crowds waving flowers, saw
lines at the recruitment centers instead. Our people chose resistance. And our
warriors stood firm, and civilians defended cities and villages, streets and
yards. Ordinary people, absolutely, forming living walls, stopped columns of
military vehicles, and all together showed lost Russia the only right road.
Everyone
understood: every tomorrow had to be won. Ukraine had to stand – the state had
to stand no matter what. And despite everything, our Ukraine had to keep
functioning. Much was done here; we had never shown this facility before – it’s
empty now, of course, but at the beginning of the war, there were hundreds of
people here.
I worked here,
then went upstairs to address you, the people. Here was our team, the
government, daily coordination with the military, phone calls, the search for
solutions – everything necessary for Ukraine to endure. Weapons had to be
delivered. Medicine and food were delivered to cities blockaded by the enemy.
To preserve the life Ukraine fights for so desperately.
And to be honest,
things were different at times – here, both formal and blunt language was used,
because every aid package, every sanction against Russia, every shipment of
weapons – all of these had to be truly fought for. We had to fight tooth and
nail for the faith in Ukraine. We had to make sure the world got involved.
And this was the
key message of our appeals to European countries, to the U.S. Congress, to most
parliaments around the world – and to the people, of course. To ordinary people
– to millions across the globe – be with us, be with Ukraine, believe in us,
stand with Ukraine, be brave like Ukraine!
These calls
worked, because Ukrainians fought in a way that took your breath away, and this
resistance was visible even from space, and that was absolutely inspiring, so
very soon everyone saw it – this blue-and-yellow sea: thousands of people with
our flags in squares across Europe and the world.
And so –
gradually, with difficulty, step by step, brick by brick – Ukraine built the
support that allowed us to hold out: when we made it through the first day of
the war. The longest day of our lives. Then another. And another. Then a week.
Two weeks. And then – a month. And we saw spring.
We won it back
then – when it seemed that this February would never end, we gained our first
spring amid a great war. It was a turning point, and for the first time, a
thought flashed through everyone’s mind: we can do this. Ukraine can do this.
I really like the
phrase that everyone was reposting at the time – a kind of summary of the first
stage of the full-scale war, when Ukraine said: “You think I’ve fallen to my
knees? I’ve just tied my tactical boots.”
And ahead of us
was a road. And even in this long tunnel, you couldn’t fit a millionth of the
pain Ukraine has endured during this time. The pain Russia brought to each of
our families, to every Ukrainian heart.
Bucha. Irpin.
Borodyanka. Mass graves. Hostomel. Mriya. Kharkiv. Mykolaiv. Regional state
administration. Kakhovka Dam. Zaporizhzhia NPP. Kremenchuk and Kryvyi Rih.
Ternopil and Lviv. Olenivka. Chasiv Yar. Kyiv. Okhmatdyt. Kramatorsk. Train
station. A toy. Mariupol. Drama theater. The inscription: Children. Odesa.
Apartment building. A little girl. Three months. Vilnyansk. Maternity ward. An
infant. Two days…
Men do not fight
like this. People do not act like this. Ukrainians will not forget it. Let this
footage be seen by everyone who has no pangs of conscience, by all who still
extend a hand to Russian evil and still buy Putin’s oil.
But all this
time, we have not let our anger eat us from within. Ukrainians have turned
their own rage into energy for the fight and have proven: we can be forced into
shelters, but it is impossible to drive Ukraine underground forever. We
inevitably rise, we return, we continue to fight – because we fight for life.
For the right to stand on our land – and to breathe our own air. And Ukraine
knows these feelings well – when, despite everything, after the all-clear, we
come up from the bomb shelter, and with us, hope emerges, soaring into the sky;
whenever the Ukrainian flag is raised – whenever it returned and returns to
where it rightfully belongs.
And this was the
next important stage of our struggle – when Ukraine not only endured, not only
holds the defense, but strikes back. When entire cities made history. Hero
Cities. Cities of Heroes. They moved forward. There were the first offensives,
the first successes, and what can never be forgotten – the first eyes, the eyes
of Ukrainians who had waited for their own. Balakliya, Izyum, Kupyansk,
Kherson. Everyone saw how the occupiers were driven out of the Kyiv region, out
of the Sumy region, the Chernihiv region. And everyone learned about the
Ukrainian teleport to the other world for the enemy – Chornobaivka. Saw how
Russian ultimatums turned into goodwill gestures. How Zmiinyi Island became
ours again.
How the word
“bavovna” gained a new meaning, and how we rejoiced when the first “bavovna”
was heard in Russia. It is not malice – this is simply what justice sounds like
in Ukrainian. It sounds like Stuhna, Vilkha, Neptune, and the roar with which
the cruiser Moskva sank. Back then – it was a big moment. Later – it became a
tradition.
And little else
lifts Ukrainian spirits like the footage of the enemy’s military facilities and
oil refineries burning. When it happened for the first time – it was major
news. Now – it is almost daily.
And what once
seemed unthinkable has now become the norm. Patriots, IRIS-Ts, NASAMS, F-16s –
and something greater: our own weapons, our long-range capability.
Just realize
this. Ukraine has come a long way – from the point when we were being given
body armor to the point when we ourselves produce more than three million FPV
drones a year. From the days when we admired Javelins and Bayraktars to the day
when we have our own Sichen, Hor, Vampire, Palianytsia, Peklo, Ruta, Flamingo.
From asking to close the sky to the ability to shoot down hundreds of “shaheds”
in a single night. From hedgehogs and fortifications on the streets of Kyiv to
the Kursk operation and the Spiderweb.
But that is still
not enough – we will do more, because Russia does not stop, unfortunately, and
wages war by every method – against peace, against us, against people.
Putin understands
he is not capable of defeating Ukraine on the battlefield, and the “second army
in the world” is fighting against apartment buildings and power plants. And now
Ukrainians are enduring the hardest winter in history. And terror almost every
night. I do not know who else could withstand this without collapsing or
wavering. Ukrainians are doing it. And this is great exhaustion. For sure. What
other people could do this? Despite the war, all these attacks, all these
trials – to overcome evil – to overcome despair and hopelessness. And to hold
on. And to hold on in unity.
And amid all this
– to achieve results – everywhere. To recover after every attack. Each time, to
replenish our air defense with missiles. To go to work every morning. To hold
the line constantly. To speak with the world as equals. To gain EU candidate
status, to bring thousands of our prisoners home. To make every international
platform – from Davos to the UN – pro-Ukrainian. To make Ukraine’s voice in the
world loud, to win Eurovision, to take the Oscar and the BAFTA, to be absolute
world boxing champions, and to prove that Ukrainians have honor of the highest
grade – far more valuable than any gold of this spineless IOC.
From each such
act, from all such steps, achievements, and small victories, the great Ukraine
is formed. Great – because it has you. People who inspire the planet.
And we remember
how the first foreign leaders arrived in Ukraine at the beginning of this war.
And the term “official visit” cannot in the slightest convey what these
meetings were for us. We understood who was truly our brother and friend, who
did not fear, did not hesitate, did not stain their name and did not worry
about how not to anger Putin. I thank every leader who chose the side of light
in history – chose Ukraine. In Europe, the United States, Canada, Japan,
Australia. Everyone who stands with us.
And I really want
to come here with the President of the United States one day. I know for
certain: only by coming to Ukraine, and seeing with one’s own eyes our life and
our struggle, feeling our people and the enormity of this pain – only then can
one understand what this war is really about. And because of whom. Who the
aggressor is here and who must be pressured. That Ukraine defends life, fights
precisely for this, and that this is not a street fight – it is an attack by a
sick state on a sovereign one, and that Putin is this war. He is the cause of
its beginning and the obstacle to its end. And it is Russia that must be put in
its place. So that there can be real peace.
They say time
heals. I am not sure. At least I do not know how much time it will take to heal
all our wounds – all these painful questions of “How many?” that burn inside.
How many tears have been cried? How many attacks and vile strikes? How many
scars in our hearts – how many flags in our cemeteries? How many names?
Da Vinci, Grenka,
Juice. Zheka, Tykhyi, Nord. Petrychenko, Matsievskyi, sailor Vitalii Skakun,
pilot Oleksandr Oksanchenko. Daria “Delta” Lopatina. Lana “Sati” Chornohorska.
Yulia Bereziuk, Marharyta Polovinko. Thousands, thousands of heroes who gave
their lives so that Ukraine may live. Our warrior-defenders. Our guardian
angels.
I am certain they
have told God the whole truth about this war. About how we defend ourselves. We
defend our land, life, independence, our culture, history, our St. Sophia, our
people. 1,462 days of the full-scale war. 12 years since the beginning of
Russia’s aggression. For some – an entire lifetime. Of course, we all want the
war to end. But no one will allow Ukraine to end. We want peace. Strong,
dignified, lasting. And before each round of negotiations, I give our team very
clear directives. They always come in classified decrees, but I will certainly
not reveal a state secret if I share my main message: not to nullify all these
years, not to devalue – the entire struggle, the courage, the dignity,
everything Ukraine has gone through. This cannot be surrendered, forgotten,
betrayed. That is why there are so many rounds of negotiations, and a battle
for every word, for every point, for real security guarantees, so that the
agreement is strong. History is watching us closely. The agreement must not
simply be signed – it must be accepted, accepted by Ukrainians.
Dear people,
The strength that
has sustained us all these years is you. Our people. Our resistance is you.
Ukrainian men. Ukrainian women. Everyone who does not give up. Our eyes may be
tired, but our backs are unbroken. And I want to thank each and every one who
carries independence on their shoulders. Every warrior – for your strength.
Your parents, your children, your wives and husbands – for their endurance. I
thank all those whose work makes Ukraine stronger. Those who bring light and
warmth back to our homes. Those who heal. Those who volunteer. Those who teach.
Those who study – in universities or in schools – and who learn the most
important thing: to be human, to be Ukrainian. I am proud of you. I believe in
each and every one of you. In all of you to whom, without any exaggeration, I
have the honor to say: Great people of a great Ukraine.
Looking back at
the beginning of the invasion and reflecting on today, we have every right to
say: we have defended our independence, we have not lost our statehood. Ukraine
exists not just on the map. Ukraine is an actor in international relations. Our
capital stands, and so do Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia,
Kramatorsk, Odesa, Lviv. Other cities. Putin has not achieved his goals. He has
not broken Ukrainians. He has not won this war. We have preserved Ukraine, and
we will do everything to secure peace and justice.
Less than a week
until spring. We are getting through the hardest winter in history. This is a
fact. And it is very difficult. Difficult for all of us. But just as on the
first day of the war – we continue to build our tomorrow – step by step, task
by task, achievement by achievement, and every result, every success, every one
of our “Ukraine did it” is the merit of all of you. The Ukrainian people.
Glory to Ukraine!
