On the 35th anniversary of Ukraine's independence, President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a direct challenge to the Kremlin this Monday during his official speech for Independence Day, presenting a devastating assessment of Russian losses after more than four years of large-scale war.
The most emphatic message from the Ukrainian leader was a direct challenge to Vladimir Putin and the invading forces: «You wanted to seize all of our Ukraine, all our land; in return, you lost your refineries, your fleet, your income, and an entire generation that you sent to the meat grinder».
Zelensky emphasized that the Ukrainian resistance has already lasted 1,643 days since the large-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, and that Russia has failed in each of its fundamental calculations.
"Putin hopes that we are tired. We know that he is mortal. He never understood us. And now he won't have time to do so.", stated the Ukrainian president in a tone that combined military toughness with a reaffirmation of national identity.
The speech was delivered hours after Russia attacked Ukrainian territory with two Oniks missiles, six Kh-31P/Kh-59 missiles, and 143 drones, resulting in at least eight deaths and 43 injuries across 22 locations. The Ukrainian air defense managed to shoot down 109 of those drones.
Far from evading the military balance, Zelenski made it the centerpiece of his speech. He highlighted Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries —which, according to independent analyses and intelligence reports, have affected more than twenty of the country's major refineries— resulting in a fuel crisis that led the president himself to quip: “The head of Russia has spent twenty-seven years talking about greatness, while Russia is lining up for gasoline.”
Regarding the destruction of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea by naval drones, Zelensky was equally emphatic: “The enemy had a fleet and it is becoming scrap. But we need to sink more.”
The president also recounted the long-range attacks that have reached Moscow, Tuapse, Tula, Ryazan, Omsk, and dozens of other locations in Russian territory, and announced that the missile "Flamingo" must cease to be an exceptional weapon and become a tool for mass use.
In relation to the use of Flamingos for deep strikes against Russian military targets, Zelenski also used caustic words when calling for an increase in their production: “They have to hibernate in Russia.”
In diplomatic terms, Zelensky celebrated that Washington has abandoned its illusions about Moscow's intentions for peace and called for stronger sanctions: "We finally need sanctions that will make them howl". He also directly challenged China, asking it to stop remaining silent in the face of Russian nuclear threats and to demonstrate its leadership as a civilization.
Zelenski completely rejected any territorial concessions, ruled out Ukraine giving up the Donbas: “Russia keeps postponing the dates when they supposedly will take over the entire Donetsk region. They will continue to push them back.”
The speech also included an acknowledgment of the Ukrainian defense industrial complex, which operates 24 hours a day producing tens of thousands of ground robotic systems that, according to Zelenski, have already saved thousands of soldiers' lives at the front.
Ukraine currently shoots down more than 90% of the Russian Shahed drones, a figure that the president presented as evidence that problems that seemed insurmountable can be solved.
The leader concluded his speech with a promise that encapsulated the tone of the entire day: «You wanted us to disappear from the map; now it is you who are not on the international agenda of the civilization of the future».
Related videos:
Filed under: