Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky warned his country on Christmas night to not let down their guard and to expect another hellish week as the 2022 calendar year comes to a close.
The war of Russian aggression enters its 306th day on Monday in a frigid Eastern Europe. Zelensky said that even though Christmas is now behind and the new year lies straight ahead, this final week of the year could be tough if Russia has its way.
“Russia has lost everything possible this year,” Zelensky said. “But [Russian President Vladimir Putin] is trying to compensate for his losses with the cunning of his propagandists following missile strikes on our country, on our energy sector.”
Zelensky in his nightly address to the nation said Ukrainians should be on full alert this final week of 2022 as he predicts Russia will try to make things extremely “dark and difficult.”
“There are a few days left in this year. We must be aware that our enemy will try to make this time dark and difficult for us,” Zelensky said. He further said, “I know that the darkness will not prevent us from leading the occupiers to their new defeats, but we must be prepared for any scenario.”
Zelensky went on to tell his countrymen that if they hear air raid sirens, they should seek places called a “point of invincibility.”
“Search again and remember where the nearest “Point of Invincibility” is located. Tell parents how to find the “Point of Invincibility” if necessary. More than 5,500 points have already been opened across the country,” the president said.
This speech came just one day after the president’s Christmas Eve address reminded Ukrainians to stay alert during the holiday season.
“Unfortunately, all the holidays have a bitter aftertaste for us this year. And we can feel the traditional Spirit of Christmas differently. Dinner at the family table cannot be so tasty and warm. There may be empty chairs around it,” Zelensky said.
“Our houses and streets can’t be so bright. And Christmas bells can ring not so loudly and inspiringly. Through air raid sirens, or even worse – gunshots and explosions. And all this together can pose a bigger threat. It is a disappointment. Of the higher forces and their power, of goodness and justice in the world. Loss of hope. Loss of love. Loss of myself …”
Zelensky recently returned home after a trip in the cloak of darkness to the United States and back on Wednesday, in which he met with President Joe Biden and asked Congress to continue providing aid to his country. The U.S. approved $1.85 billion in additional aid to Ukraine, which now includes the Patriot Air Defense System.
Russia has lost more than 102,000 soldiers since their invasion on February 24 this year.
Zelensky called Russia the “evil and darkness” that has invaded his country, and he vowed Ukraine would use the “wisdom of God” to overcome it.
“Isn’t this what evil and darkness, which have taken up arms against us, want in their essence? We have been resisting them for more than three hundred days and eight years,” Zelensky said. “And will we allow them to achieve what they want?
Russia ‘Lost Everything Possible This Year’ But Will Continue: Zelensky
