Zelenskyy: If Putin thinks that we will surrender— he knows nothing about Ukraine

Olena Roshchina — Thursday, 3 March 2022, 13:20

President Zelenskyy claimed that Putin was wrong to think that he could break Ukrainians or make them surrender, and compared the desire to destroy Ukraine with a disease.

Source: Zelenskyy’s video message on morning of 3 March

Details: The President noted that the first case of Covid-19 was reported in Ukraine exactly 2 years ago. Exactly a week ago "Ukraine was attacked by another virus, another disease, and by those suffering from severe forms of a desire for annexation and occupation of lands that belong to others."

"A week ago, at 4 am, Russia invaded Ukraine. An acute aggressive episode, megalomania, delusions of persecution. Severe psychological complexes resulting in missile complexes. In jet artillery. In tanks and other armoured vehicles just like a plague of locusts. The first hours and days of a full-scale war were extremely difficult. But we were united, and therefore we were strong, and therefore we endured. And so it will be. And we will continue to stand," Zelensky said.

According to his words, the aggressors were forced to change tactics and launch missile and bomb strikes on Ukrainian cities, because "they could not achieve anything significant in ground battles." But all lines of the Ukrainian defence have persevered. 

Ukrainians have united, and Ukraine receives weapons "from its true friends".

Zelensky reminded everyone watching that Ukraine has experienced two world wars in its history, three Holodomors, the Holocaust, Babyn Yar, the Great Terror, the Chernobyl explosion, the occupation of Crimea and the war in the East.

Quote: "We have no vast territories stretching from one ocean to another, no nuclear weapons, we do not supply the world market with oil and gas. What we do have is our people and our land. This is our gold. We have nothing to lose but our own freedom and dignity, and this is our greatest treasure.

They have wanted to destroy us so many times, but they have not managed to do it. They wanted to wipe us off the face of the earth, but they did not succeed. They stabbed us in our back, but we are still on our feet. They wanted us to be silent, but the whole world heard us. We've been through so much!

And if someone thinks that, having overcome all of this, Ukrainians — any of us — will be scared, broken or willing to surrender — he knows nothing about Ukraine, and he has nothing to do in Ukraine."

Details: Zelensky addressed Putin in Russian: "Go home. To your home. Protect Russian-speaking people. Not around the world. But in your own country. There are almost 150 million of them. And here...Glory to Ukraine!"

Previously: Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on the morning of February 24, Russian troops attacked from various directions and very quickly moved from targeting military facilities to targeting residential areas and civilian infrastructure.