In a speech to his people from a hill overlooking the capital Kiev, Zelenskyy said the ‘old evil’ has returned and this time it’s being unleashed by ‘modern Russia’, which seeks to achieve the same goal as the Nazis. of “enslavement and destruction”, adding that she would not succeed.
To further highlight Ukraine’s separation from its Soviet past, Zelenskyy said he had submitted a bill to parliament to officially make May 8 a day of remembrance and victory, while Ukraine will mark the Day of Europe on May 9 each year, the same day that Russia celebrates Victory Day. . Zelenskyy wants Ukraine to join the European Union one day after the war.
The President of Ukraine said: “We are giving back to our country a real history without intellectual influences. Most countries in the world remember May 8 as the greatness of the victory over the Nazis.
For Russia, May 9 is one of its most important national holidays, which it celebrates with huge military parades and commemorates the enormous sacrifices made by the Soviet Union and its loss of around 27 million citizens. in the defeat of Nazi Germany.
Ukraine started celebrating May 8 for the first time in 2015.
Russia, which annexed Crimea and sparked rebellions in the east of the country the previous year, has been accused of using the anniversary to foment Russian nationalism.
But he did not formalize this change for fear of stirring up internal divisions.
Zelenskyy said: “Today I signed the decree on the issue, and every year from tomorrow, May 9, we will celebrate our historic unity – the unity of all Europeans who destroyed Nazism and will defeat Russian fascism.”
The Kremlin said May 9 will remain a holy day for many in Ukraine.
Russia responds
In response to a question about Zelenskyy’s proposals, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a Monday press briefing: “There are veterans who also participated in the Great Patriotic War, and their loved ones regard this day as sacred and it will remain so”.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova went further.
She said, “Who’s worse than the enemy? The traitor. That’s Zelenskyy…Judas in the 21st century…the partner of the fascists after 80 years.”
She added that he betrayed the memory of Ukrainians who died fighting the Nazis.
Moscow stepped up its attacks on the Ukrainian capital and other cities across the country in the final days before Victory Day on Tuesday.
Some analysts say Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to achieve some kind of bitter war victory in conjunction with the holidays.
Zelenskyy said Europe would not allow that to happen.
He added that it was again time to defeat “evil” together “to ensure that no one enslaves other peoples or destroys other nations again”.
He continued: “We don’t know the date of our victory yet, but we know that it will be a celebration for all of Ukraine, for all of Europe and for all of the free world.”
Read the Latest World News Today on The Eastern Herald.
