Ukraine marks the 33rd anniversary of its independence from the Soviet Union amid of the ongoing war with Russia, the Associated Press reported, BTA reported.
The date is marked today in a somber atmosphere due to the unrelenting war to repel Russian aggression, which has been going on for 30 months now. No vigils, parades or concerts are planned, but instead Ukrainians will mark the day by paying tribute to civilians and servicemen killed in the war.
Ukrainians flooded social networks with messages filled with gratitude and support, congratulating and thanking the soldiers at the front. In a moment of unity like this, everyone admits that the two and a half years have been difficult, and the fatigue is increasingly felt.
"Independence is the silence we feel when we lose our people," said President Volodymyr Zelensky in an address to the nation. "Independence descends into shelter during an air raid to stand and stand up again and again to tell the enemy: you will achieve nothing,", he added.
Zelensky pointed out that the war started by Russia has already reached its territory. "Those who want to sow evil on our land will reap the fruits on their soil," he said, referring to Ukraine's invasion of Russia's Kursk region earlier this month.
The president symbolically chose to record his address in the northeastern city of Sumy, which is located a few kilometers from the Russian border and from which Ukrainian forces entered Russian territory on August 6.
"913 days ago, Russia started its war against us, partly through the Sumy region,", Zelensky said. "She crossed not only our sovereign borders, but also the borders of cruelty and common sense, fueled by the unrelenting desire to destroy us,", continued the Ukrainian president.
The Ukrainians' surprise incursion into Russia's Kursk region brought an unexpected twist to the war and added a new front to the conflict, aimed at countering Russian advances in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region. Ukraine quickly seized a significant amount of Russian territory, including several small towns, and captured hundreds of Russian soldiers - actions that could affect the course of the war.
"And those who want to turn our lands into a buffer zone will now have to worry about their country becoming a buffer federation," he said. "This is how independence answers."
The Ukrainian army claims to control 1,200 square kilometers of Russian territory in Kursk Oblast and has carried out drone strikes in the past week, hitting strategic bridges as well as Russian airfields and drone bases.
Even as Ukraine advances its offensive into Russia, the country is evacuating its citizens in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, as Russian forces are currently 10 km from the strategic city. Residents of Pokrovsk, a town of 60,000, evacuated to a school building yesterday, then gathered their valuables and boarded trains to reach places further from the fighting.
Also yesterday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the capital Kyiv. After hugging Zelensky, Modi offered "as a friend" to help restore peace to Ukraine. The Indian leader's visit has given hope to many that Delhi will take a mediating role in settling peace talks.