Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the nation at the Hostomel airfield that witnessed the beginning of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on this day two years ago, and he thanked the people and Kyiv’s allies for their unwavering support throughout the war.
“Great people of a great country! I am incredibly proud of everyone. I admire everyone. I believe in everyone. Any normal person wants the war to end. But none of us will allow Ukraine to end,” said Zelensky at the beginning of his address.
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In the video, wreckages of planes and other equipment could be seen scattered across the field, where the location was chosen for its symbolic value as the venue for the meeting with Western leaders.
“And this symbolically and eloquently describes the path we have traveled over these two years, and the difference between Feb. 24 then and now,” he added.
Zelensky also emphasized the duration of the war thus far, a time he said that was marked by the courage and pain of the nation.
“Someone is waiting for some soothsayer to say when it will come, but millions of Ukrainians simply remember Kobzar's words: ‘Fight – and you will win!’ And this has been followed by 730 days of dedication and courage,” he said.
Zelensky added that unfortunately, every Ukrainian also “has someone to keep quiet about. And honor the memory. And we bow our heads together. 730 days of pain.”
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On Feb. 24, 2022, Russian airborne troops attempted to capture the Hostomel airport located in the suburbs of Kyiv, which led to weeks of fierce fighting.
Over the next month, control of the airport exchanged hands between Ukrainian and Russian troops multiple times, where the latter destroyed the Antonov An-225 Mriya, the biggest cargo plane in the world and the only of its kind, whose name means “dream” in Ukrainian.
The failure of Moscow’s troops to secure the airfield as a bridgehead to bring in reinforcements ultimately led to the failure of Putin’s plan to seize the capital and to decapitate Ukraine’s government.
The full text of Zelensky’s address can be found on the Presidential website here.
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