Kyiv: On the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that 2023 will be the year of victory for his country.
In a short video, he said his countrymen have been bravely resisting and fighting the Russian forces. He tweeted: "On February 24, millions of us made a choice. Not a white flag, but the blue and yellow one. Not fleeing, but facing. Resisting and fighting. It was a year of pain, sorrow, faith, and unity. And this year, we remained invincible. We know that 2023 will be the year of our victory."
He further said: "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. We are strong. We are ready for anything. We will defeat everyone. This is how it began on February 24, 2022. The longest day of our lives. The most difficult day in our recent history. We woke up early and haven't slept since."
The video was titled 'the year of invincibility'.
"Almost everyone has at least one contact in their phone that will never pick up the phone again. He who will not respond to the SMS 'How are you?'. These two simple words got a new meaning during the year of the war. We became one big army. We have become a team where someone finds, someone packs, someone brings, but everyone contributes," said the President.
The 45-year-old has been leading Ukraine unwavering since the invasion started. He also turned down help from the West to flee his country and refused to abandon his people.