‘We will defeat everyone’: Zelenskyy’s message on Ukraine war anniversary

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy marked the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine with a video message to the world, saying “we will defeat everyone.”

The video starts with Zelenskyy recalling his address to the nation a year ago. “A year ago on this day, from this same place around seven in the morning, I addressed you with a brief statement, lasting only 67 seconds. It contained the two most important things: That Russia had started the full-scale invasion against us. And that we are strong. We will defeat everyone. Because we are Ukraine.”

Zelenskyy described February 24, 2022, as “the longest day of our lives” and “the hardest day in modern history” and added: “We will never rest until the Russian murderers will face deserved punishment. We have no doubt that they will be held accountable. We have no doubt that we will win.”

In a separate video posted on Twitter, Zelenskyy described a year of pain, sorrow, faith and unity. “On February 24, millions of us made a choice. Not a white flag, but the blue and yellow one. Not fleeing, but facing. Resisting & fighting,” he wrote.