The folks of Ukraine had been hailed as free folks and for his or her struggle for freedom as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the nation Thursday celebrating it is second Independence Day beneath the Russian invasion.
“Today we celebrate the 32nd anniversary of our independence – the independence of Ukraine. A holiday of free people,” Zelenskyy mentioned in an assertion on social media.
Freedom “is a value for each of us, and we are fighting for it,” Zelenskyy mentioned because the battle in Ukraine enters its nineteenth month.
The nation’s army intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov mentioned on Telegram that the struggle for independence “continues to this day – now with the imperial aggressor” Russia.
Kyiv’s safety service chief Vasyl Maliuk additionally mentioned on Telegram that the vacation had taken on “new meanings” in the course of the battle with Moscow.
“It became not only the personification of our right to life and freedom, but also a symbol of heroism and bravery,” Maliuk mentioned.
A collection of occasions are deliberate throughout Ukraine to mark the day.
In Brussels, EU authorities buildings had been lit up within the blue-and-yellow colours of Ukraine in a single day, and Ukrainian flags had been hoisted alongside EU ones.
EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen counseled Ukrainians for his or her “courage, their force and enduring hope in a future of peace and prosperity in a united Europe.”
“They are an inspiration to all Europeans,” she mentioned on social media.
Mission Crimea
Later Thursday, Ukraine mentioned it flew its flag on the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula in a single day after conducting a “special joint operation” there with its Navy to mark the Independence Day.
Kyiv has repeatedly mentioned it goals to take again Crimea, which is acknowledged internationally as a part of Ukraine however managed by Russia since 2014, when Moscow’s forces seized the peninsula.
Ukraine’s GUR intelligence company mentioned in a press release that its particular forces landed on Crimea’s western shore close to the cities of Olenivka and Mayak, the place it “engaged in combat.”
“As a result, the enemy suffered losses among personnel, enemy equipment was destroyed,” it mentioned, including that the “state flag flew again in the Ukrainian Crimea.”
Ukraine has launched a number of assaults on the Russian-annexed peninsula for the reason that begin of Moscow’s invasion, and refers back to the territory as “temporarily occupied” in statements.
On Wednesday, Kyiv mentioned it destroyed a strong Russian S-400 anti-aircraft system in that space, which it mentioned inflicted a “painful blow” on enemy air defenses.
Moscow has additionally accused Ukraine of attacking the Russian-built Crimean bridge, which has been closed as a result of a number of incidents together with an enormous explosion in October final yr.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
