After having listed, Friday, the main political and military stages of “a year of resilience” during which “Ukraine surprised, inspired and united the world”, Volodymyr Zelensky promised “victory” in 2023.
by Rémy Ourdan (Kiev, Special Envoy)
Each solemn commemoration for a year, there has never been a question, in kyiv, faced with a Russian threat remaining vertiginous despite the reverse of Moscow, of fragility or doubt. In these moments, it is only a question in Ukraine, of resistance, pride, determination. And the inevitable victory to come.
This Friday, February 24, the day of the first anniversary of the country’s invasion by the Russian army, did not escape what has become a rule of conduct. The Ukrainian presidency had chosen to celebrate what she baptized “the year of invincibility”.
Often at the forefront of this spirit of resistance, the Ukrainian Post, for example, decided to issue a new stamp with a fresco drawn by British artist Banksy on a destroyed wall from the city of Borodianka. The work represents a child (Ukrainian) taking judo and putting a man (Russian) that one imagines to be Russian President Vladimir Putin, himself a black judo and who often put himself, put to the carpet. On stage practicing this martial art. The stamp is decorated with the initials “PTN PNK” to, in Ukrainian, “Putin, will make you fuck”. Or the adaptation of the now famous sentence, on the first day of war, defenders of the island to snakes refusing to capitulate and who had replied, under the threat of the cannons, “Russian warship, will make you fuck!” , before being bombed and taken in captivity.
The head of state, Volodymyr Zelensky, opened this commemorative day, during which the Ukrainians went both to the cemetery paying tribute to their dead and cultural demonstrations over the year of war, by a video message to his fellow citizens. He promised that after “the year of invincibility”, during which Ukraine valiantly resisted the Russian assaults, the second year of war would be that of “inevitable victory”.
m. Zelensky spoke for a long time on February 24, 2022, “the longest day of our lives, the hardest part in our modern history”. “We woke up early and we have not returned since. We have not hoisted the white flag and defended our blue and yellow flag. We were not broken, we did not capitulate,” -So he said, also taking up the symbolic image of soldiers on the island of snakes, subject of national worship.
zelensky: “Fight for the security of Europe”
After listing the main political and military stages of “a year of resilience, attention, courage, pain, hope, unity” during which “Ukraine surprised, inspired and united The world “, the president promised” victory “for” this year “2023.
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