"We will not wait for miracle, we will make it ourselves": Zelenskyy congratulates Ukrainians on Christmas

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has congratulated Ukrainians on Christmas and called on everyone to remember how much the people have gone through since the start of the full-scale invasion on 24 February.

Source: Zelenskyy in his video address

Quote from Zelenskyy: "Merry Christmas to Western Rite Christians!

We meet this day – and all future winter holidays – in difficult circumstances. Someone will see the first star in the skies over Bakhmut, Rubizhne, and Kreminna today. Someone will see it through the bullet holes of his or her own home. Someone will celebrate the holiday in other people's homes, stranger's homes – homes of Ukrainians who 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, but let them remember that we are also coming for our people; we will bring back freedom to all Ukrainian men and women.

Wherever we are, we will be together today. And together we will look at the evening sky. And together we will remember the morning of 24 February. Let's remember how much we have endured. Let's remember Azovstal, Irpin, Bucha, Kramatorsk, Snake Island, Chornobaivka, Izium, Kherson. We make a wish. One for all. And we will feel joy. One for all. And we will understand the truth. One for all.

And we will never feel any shortage of courage and indomitability. We have experienced a lot of bitter news and will deservedly receive good news. We will sing Christmas carols – cheerier than ever, louder than the sound of a generator. We will hear the voices and greetings of relatives – in our hearts – even if communication service and the Internet are down. And even in total darkness – we will find each other – to hug each other tightly. And if there is no heat, we will give a big hug to warm each other."

Background: Families of the captive soldiers from the Azov Regiment have organised the Azov Regiment: Christmas in Captivity campaign at the Sofiiska Square in Kyiv.

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