Fellow Ukrainians!
Today, there were very cynical Russian strikes on Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro. In Zaporizhzhia, it was effectively a “hunt” for civilian targets, for ordinary vehicles. With FPV drones and other types of drones, the Russians are attacking life itself. There was a strike on an ordinary minibus; one of the strikes hit near a city bus. Sadly, there are fatalities. Many people were wounded. There was also a brutal, absolutely senseless Russian strike on Dnipro. An ordinary enterprise, a civilian production facility. People were killed. More than two dozen people were wounded. Kherson, Kharkiv, the Donetsk region, and the Sumy region were also attacked. My condolences to all those who have lost loved ones as a result of such attacks. Russia continues its explicitly terrorist war against Ukraine, against Ukrainians. Of course, we will respond to all of these Russian attacks in a completely just manner. And we are doing this in such a way that, first and foremost, the Russian state’s system suffers, along with Russia’s ability to prolong the war.
Putin can go on and on, claiming on TV that he supposedly has everything under control, that gasoline is supposedly available, and that Russian ministers are supposedly competent enough. But Russians themselves, standing in lines for gasoline in different regions of Russia, can actually see that their “three-day war” is now in its fifth year and has reached the point where even an oil state, a gas station, as Russia used to be called, is now facing gasoline shortages. This is a direct consequence of the war. One of its consequences. And one example of how Ukraine responds. With precision. Not as terrorists. We are bringing the reality of the war back to Russia and making it as difficult as possible to continue the occupation of our land. Our Ukrainian plan of long-range sanctions is being implemented, and so are mid-range sanctions. We discuss everything in detail with military commanders, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, and our intelligence agencies. We discuss this constantly and, responding promptly to the real situation, adjust our long-range work and our mid-range activity. We are ensuring the results Ukraine needs so that the aggressor state cannot keep the war “somewhere over there.” Everyone who seeks to destroy the life of another nation suffers themselves. We are defending life.
Of course, I'm receiving daily reports on the situation at the front. I want to thank all combat brigades, every unit carrying out their missions and holding Ukrainian positions. This is very important. Especially in the Donetsk region, where the Russian assaults are most intense. But it suffices to mention just one fact: since the start of the full-scale war, the Russian army has been given as many as 15 deadlines for capturing our Donetsk region. Russia’s political leadership remains obsessed with Donbas. They have entertained this delusion – that they would fully capture Donbas – 15 times already. In 2022, the deadlines were March 31, then May 9, June 1, September 15, and December 31. In 2023, Putin set two more deadlines for capturing Donbas: March 1, and then, when that failed again, they moved it to December 31. In 2024, there were again two such deadlines. In 2025, when the Russians tried to convince President Trump that Ukraine would supposedly fall, there were already three final dates for capturing the Donetsk region, namely, September 1, December 1, and December 25. Already this year, the Russians have again pushed back the date for the capture of the Donetsk region. At first, they had set a deadline of March 31 of this year, then September 1, and now the deadline is December 31. If Russia does not end its war, they will have to move this deadline again as well. If Putin wants to sacrifice another million of his soldiers to keep smashing against this wall, then the million Russians who have not yet been mobilized into the Russian army and are arguing in gas lines should think about what awaits them next. We have already made every proposal to end this war, and Russia refuses every time. Just recently, Russia’s clear desire to continue fighting was voiced again. So there must be as many obstacles as possible to its desire to keep waging war.
This week and in the coming weeks, we will be working with partners – there are things that should be done to bring peace closer. We have a busy international schedule ahead. We very much expect a positive response from the Group of Seven to our requests, as well as from the members of the Coalition of the Willing. June and July must deliver results: for Ukraine, first and foremost, and for our shared commitment to ensuring security. Peace is needed. I thank everyone who helps us defend Ukraine. I thank everyone who provides strength to our country and never forgets to look out for those around them.
Glory to Ukraine!