President: History will forever remember Ukraine’s response to Russia’s invasion

Ukraine has endured nine days of darkness – three times more than darkness and evil expected. Europe's history will forever remember Ukrainians' response to Russian aggression.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said this in his video address.

Great people of a great country!

A country of power. A country of freedom. The people of absolute moral leadership.

We have endured nine days of darkness. Nine days of evil. This is three times more than darkness and evil expected.

We responded to the invasion as we can in times of greatest danger. Responded with heroism. Solidarity. Mutual assistance. We responded in Ukrainian. So that the history of Europe will remember it forever. It will tell children about it. Show it to grandchildren.

The whole continent will know the city of Kharkiv. The city of Chernihiv. The city of Sumy. The city of Volnovakha. The city of Mariupol. The city of Mykolaiv. And many other of our beautiful cities. Living cities! Cities that have withstood the worst invasion since World War II.

I say this specifically as a fait accompli. Withstood. No matter what the situation is at the moment, strategically, everything is clear.

Ukrainians are united from Uzhhorod to Kharkiv, from Kyiv to Kherson. Ukrainians are chasing the enemy near Kyiv. They are beating him for Okhtyrka. Punishing him for Hostomel. They will take revenge for Kherson. Our Kherson! Ukrainian Kherson. Which they tried to humiliate today.

They failed. They were not allowed. Ukrainians have shown themselves.

They did not allow themselves to be deceived in a cheap cynical show. With a handout instead of help. With propaganda instead of sincerity.

Russian propagandists thought of our people as of themselves. And they saw that Kherson residents are proud. And respect themselves. Respect Ukraine.

I understand how difficult the decision is. When in the occupation they come out against armed enemies.

I feel how risky it is.

But I see how our people refuse to play by the rules of the invaders. How our people remain Ukrainians. How our people stay with our state, even temporarily finding themselves in the darkness.

If Russian politicians still have their eyes, they will be able to see what Ukraine is. What our freedom is.

The invaders thought they could turn off our television to Ukrainians. Our connection. They thought they could take away products, shut off the electricity. They thought it would force Ukrainians to submit.

But even if you deprive us of oxygen, we will breathe deeply, to say: get out of our land!

Even in complete darkness we see the truth.

And we will fight until it darkens in our eyes.

Because we are the warriors of light. And today no one on Earth will be able to say that this line is pathos.

The 9th day of the war. Many of us have a tradition to remember those who are not with us on the 9th day.

Eternal memory to everyone who died for Ukraine!

Unfortunately, today there is a complete impression that it is time to give a funeral repast for something else:

Security guarantees and promises.

Determination of alliances.

Values that seem to be dead for someone.

The NATO summit took place today. Weak summit. Confused summit.

Summit, which shows that not everyone considers the struggle for freedom to be Europe's number one goal.

All NATO intelligence offices are well aware of the enemy's plans. They also confirmed that Russia wants to continue the offensive. As best it can.

For 9 days we have seen a brutal war. They are destroying our cities. They are shelling our people, our children, and residential neighborhoods. Churches. Schools. They destroy everything that ensures a normal life. And they want to continue it.

Knowing that new strikes and casualties are inevitable, NATO deliberately decided NOT to close the sky over Ukraine.

We believe that NATO countries themselves have created a narrative that the closure of the sky over Ukraine would provoke Russia's direct aggression against NATO.

This is self-hypnosis. Of those who are weak, underconfident. Internally. Although they may have weapons many times more powerful than ours.

You had to think about people. About humanity itself.

And what did you think about at that summit?

All the people who will die starting from this day will also die because of you.

Because of your weakness. Because of your disunity.

All the Alliance has managed to do so far is to carry fifty tons of diesel fuel for Ukraine through its procurement system. Probably so that we can burn the Budapest Memorandum. To make it burn better.

But it is already burnt for us. In the fire of Russian troops.

Is this NATO we wanted? Is this the Alliance you were building?

Today, the Alliance's leadership gave the green light for further bombing of Ukrainian cities by refusing to make a no-fly zone.

You could close our sky. But…

I do not know who you can protect and whether you can protect NATO countries.

You will not be able to buy us off with liters of fuel for liters of our blood. Shed for our common Europe. For our common freedom. For our common future.

But I am also grateful to our country's friends in NATO. There are many countries of our friends, our partners - most of the powerful partners. Those who help our state no matter what. From the first day of the invasion. And I'm sure, until the victory.

And that's why we do NOT feel alone.

We continue to fight. We will protect our state. We will liberate our land.

Thanks to our heroes.

I awarded decorations and medals to 76 Ukrainian heroes for personal courage and selfless actions for our defense. Unfortunately, 37 of them are awarded posthumously.

I awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine to Lieutenant General Oleksandr Oleksiyovych Pavliuk, Commander of the Joint Forces Operation.

I conferred the military rank of Brigadier General on Colonel Volodymyr Vasyliovych Shvorak, Deputy Commander of the East Operational Command of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

I conferred the military rank of Brigadier General of Justice on Colonel of Justice Serhiy Mykolayovych Melnyk, Head of the Military Law Institute of the Yaroslav the Wise National Law University.

I conferred the military rank of Brigadier General on Colonel Artem Yevhenovych Bohomolov, Deputy Commander of the West Operational Command.

I conferred the military rank of General on Valerii Fedorovych Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Glory to Ukraine!