Fellow Ukrainians!
Since this morning, efforts have been underway to rescue people following Russian aerial bomb strikes on Komyshuvakha in the Zaporizhzhia region. All day long, there have been repeated air raid alerts and threats of new strikes. People are trapped under the rubble. The strike targeted a school building – of course, classes were no longer being held there, as Komyshuvakha is very close to the front. The building and the shelter inside it were used for humanitarian work – humanitarian aid was distributed to people there every Monday. The Russians carried out the first strike just as people had arrived – several aerial bombs. Then came a double-tap strike – more aerial bombs, this time targeting the shelter. A vile, terrorist strike.
The Russians are proving again and again that they hate Ukraine and everything in it. If Russia truly wanted de-escalation, then now, after Oleshky, there was a moment when humanitarian steps could have continued. We proposed this. But Russia continues the killings. As of now, 26 people have been reported killed. My condolences to their families and loved ones. Five people are in hospitals. More people are under the rubble. Rescue operations will continue for as long as necessary to find each and every person. Most of the victims of this Russian strike are civilians who came to receive humanitarian aid and those who came to help them after the first strike. The Russians knew that this was effectively a humanitarian facility. It is important that the world respond to this – to every killing of our people by the Russians, to every step toward escalation in the war.
We have intel that Russia is preparing a new massive attack on our country – primarily targeting energy and logistics. The assumption is basically that tomorrow the world will be watching the American midterms, and what is happening here in Ukraine, along with our difficulties with air defense and Patriot missiles, will be overlooked. We need signals from the world to Russia that will make them feel that terror is no good, that it will bring no gains, and that as long as this war continues, their oil will burn, and they will not be able to make money doing business with the world. We must not play games with Russia’s oil or gas revenues. We must put pressure on Russia in such a way that it has no alternative but to end this war. America can do this, the world can do this. These Russian killings must be stopped. And we in Ukraine are quite rightly responding to every Russian attack on our people and our cities. Our responses are tangible and accurate, and I want to thank every one of our warriors for that accuracy – all the units carrying out missions on Ukraine’s long-range sanctions. And we will certainly respond to the strike the Russians are preparing right now.
One more point.
Over these past weeks, repair crews and energy workers have been working virtually around the clock across all of Ukraine, restoring power after Russian strikes. This year, the Russians have adopted a new tactic – they are striking not only power generation facilities but also carrying out many strikes against power grids, against energy distribution infrastructure. There is a lot of restoration work to do, and new strikes keep coming. Dozens of strikes a day. Our energy workers and repair crews are doing an outstanding job, carrying out an enormous amount of work. Right now, the speed of restoration is just as important as having missiles for air defense systems. That is why every day must be absolutely effective in repairs, restoration, and building protective structures. Today, I instructed the government to resume this fall and winter a program that proved effective last year. Everyone involved in these repairs, all energy workers, must receive additional monthly payments so that people feel that society values what they do and how they work. There must also be rotations of teams working in the most difficult conditions. Ukrainian communities must truly stand shoulder to shoulder in restoration efforts. I expect the government to present all the details of support for repair crews and energy workers this week.
Glory to Ukraine!