Address by the President of Ukraine on the Occasion of the Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Ukrainians!

December 6th is a great day – a day of those who, bearing arms, prove Ukrainian strength: the Day of Ukraine’s Armed Forces. And it’s about those who truly unite our people in struggle, in gratitude, in memory, and, of course, in deep respect.

This respect of ours is expressed not just in support and prayers, not just in donations and words, which everyone will undoubtedly write today to their loved ones – the warriors each of us has.

This respect is about something bigger. It has become a unique phenomenon, a hallmark of the new Ukraine. This respect has become an art. And this respect surrounds us – in our cities, on our streets, in our homes. These are hundreds of images sprung up across Ukraine. Hundreds of dedications, carrying within them millions of “thank yous” to you, to you, Ukrainian warrior! And how important it is to truly see these murals.

How important it is, rushing through your day, to pause at least for a moment. To walk not past, but beside. To look into these paintings, into these eyes. To remember what they have done in the war for Ukraine’s independence. To value it. And for that, we must know. Know the story of each one of them.

The one who defended their native Kyiv and then flew to aid the besieged Mariupol. Or the one who grew up in Donbas and defended the capital. Who was a world-class jiu-jitsu medalist and became a defender of Ukraine. Who was a world-famous opera singer and became a Ukrainian warrior. And the one who was a jeweler, with what friends called golden hands, and used those hands to destroy the occupiers. Different fates. Same values. Different names. Equal honor to all. They grew up in different cities, different families, different homes, yet all were raised as true heroes.

And how much pride and pain coexist in this symbolism: they went to defend their native home – and today their portraits are on the walls of these homes. And on the schools, where they had different grades, but learned perfectly what are honor, courage, humanity, and love – love for their Ukraine.

Danylo Pohorilov knew it for certain, who was astigmatic in both eyes, yet saw who the enemy was and the evil. And his brothers-in-arms saw his courage when, at the cost of his life, he led his group out of encirclement.

Oleh Fadieienko knew it, who was more than two meters tall and known as “Malysh” to his brothers-in-arms. He liberated Kupyansk, Kherson, and became a Hero of Ukraine to his state.

And Dem, who fell in battle the day after his birthday. And Taras Bereziuk, who gave his life for freedom on Ukraine’s Independence Day.

And I know this for certain: one day, in peaceful Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Lviv – anywhere in Ukraine – a little child, seeing one of these portraits, will ask their parents, “Who is this?” And they will know what to respond; they will tell the story for certain, and it will happen again, and again, and it will be passed from generation to generation, because we will forever preserve this memory and respect for our warriors. For their principles, their qualities, their will, their strength, their perseverance. For all the finest virtues. And every such canvas, every color, shade, every stroke carries these stories. These deeds, these steps. You can feel it. You must feel it.

Feel how, in 2014, Vitalii Trukhan left university and went to the ATO zone. How, always on the forward line, Oleksii Ostapenko told his wife, “If not us, then who?” How Oleksii Movchan rescued 11 people and a cat from under the rubble. How Taras Chaika saved his crew, and now an auditorium at the national university bears his name.

“Stand strong. You are all we have!” These were my words to our warriors on the first day of the war. And you stood strong. You stood when almost no one believed in Ukraine, when they told us: you have a week at most, you have no chance, you have no option but surrender.

Yet you stood. And you endured. And that is why Ukraine stands. Because it believes in itself. Because it respects itself. And it defends itself.

And shoulder-to-shoulder with those who met the invasion in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, hundreds of thousands more of their compatriots joined. Ukrainian men, Ukrainian women. Remarkable. Fearless. Real.

The first female commander of an artillery unit. A sniper who eliminated dozens of occupiers. A machine gunner who went to the front at 19. Ptashka. Taira. Ksena. Ruda. And dozens, dozens of thousands of brave girls and women in the Armed Forces. All of them who had their own pursuits – but chose one: to defend their homeland.

And everyone who was who they dreamed of being but became who they had to be. A warrior. The one who studied at the Academy of Culture and defended their native Kharkiv. Who dreamed of being a historian, knew cartography well, thanks to which led and saved many of his brothers-in-arms. Who played the accordion, did folk dancing, and became a combat medic, and saved lives.

The one who destroyed seven enemy aircraft and is the youngest Hero of Ukraine.

All this is about our lives, divided into before and after February 24. Someone was an entrepreneur, a teacher, a farmer, a clothing designer. Someone was raising five children. Someone dreamed of traveling the world. Had a successful startup. This is what Russia does. It hits not only cities – it destroys dreams. Russia attacks not just buildings – it attacks lives and futures. And it leaves us no choice. And this choice – in favor of Ukraine – was made.

Chornyi could have worked on the railway, but he had an iron will and fought for the country in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions. He is forever 24. Krylov was born in Lviv and defended us near Bakhmut. He is forever 21. Boks was born in Kyiv and defended us near Zaporizhzhia. He is forever 23.

Yet they all did not leave us – they are among us. Forever. In our hearts. In our poems. In every “Thank you!” message. Thank you to all Ukrainian military personnel. To all the heroes on the walls, who stood for Ukraine and stand like a wall. Who are together – the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It’s more than an army. More than a family. They embody us – all of Ukraine. What we fight for, how, and why. When there are no more cities and villages that aren’t ours. Each one is ours; each one is dear to us. And every corner of Ukraine is defended by fighters from every corner of Ukraine. So many names, so many deeds, so much truth in the verses of one who was a poet before the war, remained a poet during it, and wrote:

Stop and listen, you stray.
This tongue is a sword. For those who march with a sword.
Return to your swampy nowhere,
No one called you here with a tempting treat.

These words, holding back the occupiers on all fronts, are brought to life every day by our warriors. Through stories from the battlefield. Stories of strength and courage. How many such brave ones. How many such worthy ones. Not hundreds, not thousands. Certainly more. So many more that there is no wall on the planet, no amount of paint in the world, that could portray all that the Ukrainian troops have done and continue to do. For those they hold dear. For children, parents, their beloved, for every little girl who spends almost every night in a shelter. For Ukraine, which matures, which has learned to be fearless, which has no right to give up. Ukraine that will not forget and will not forgive. That is forging itself in struggle. That one day will flourish again. And that has united for this very reason. And this unity is engraved. And therefore, Lviv hosts a tribute to Mariupol and The Path Home. And Dnipro reminds everyone of our roots. And every region of Ukraine knows this. And every corner of the world recognizes this. In Europe and the United States. On the streets of Berlin and Paris, in Czechia, Poland, the United Kingdom, the Baltic states. Everywhere, everywhere, where people speak different languages, but freedom sounds the same. Where blue and yellow are known as the colors of courage. Where it is acknowledged: in this war for independence, Ukraine – the state – has won its right to live. And it has deserved a just peace.

Dear citizens! Dear Armed Forces!

This very cause – the fight for a fair peace for all of us – is what these years and these days are dedicated to.

I thank our servicemembers who, on the battlefield, do their utmost so that Ukraine has confidence at the negotiating table. So that it has dignity. So that it has strong arguments. Ukraine has all of this. Because it has you.

Infantry, artillery, intelligence, airborne units. We are grateful to all. Special Forces, missile troops, tank crews, Unmanned Systems Forces, Special Operations Forces, assault units. We value everyone.

Engineers, signal corps, cyber units, medical corps, every combat medic, every lifesaver, logistics, Air and Naval Forces, everyone who defends our skies, all those who, with deep strikes, send evil back home – to Russia. All our military branches. We are proud of all of you.

Every single person who, every day in every direction, defends Ukraine. Whose courage we see, whose protection we feel. Who gives their all on the contact line. Who changed their own life so that life persists in Ukraine.

Everyone is a warrior. Everyone is a hero. I congratulate everyone on the Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine!

Eternal glory to you! Eternal memory to those who gave their lives for Ukraine!

Glory to Ukraine!