Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (19/10/2022)

The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 19 October 2022.

Ukrainians!

Today, the battle for a normal life for our people continued.

There were new Russian attacks against our energy system. Some of the drones and missiles were shot down. Thanks again for this to our anti-aircraft fighters, our Air Forces. In particular, the 138th Dnipro anti-aircraft missile brigade for shooting down four “Kalibrs”. Our other defenders of the sky also have good results. Today, I will also celebrate the Kherson anti-aircraft missile brigade for shooting down a Russian Su-25 attack aircraft.

Thanks also to our partners – everyone who helps us with anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense. For example, the German “IRIS-T” has shown itself very well – it is a really effective system.

We are working with partners to provide even more protection to the Ukrainian sky.

Over the past day, more than 10 Ukrainian regions suffered terrorist attacks. Zhytomyr region and Kyiv region, Sumy region, Dnipro and Kryvyi Rih, Kharkiv region and Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv and other cities of the south of Ukraine, Donbas. Wherever possible, we are trying to speed up restoration work.

But now, just like in the previous days, the overall situation still requires a very conscious consumption of electricity and limiting the use of energy-consuming appliances during peak hours.

The more conscious our household consumption of electricity is from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., the more stable our energy system will be. Everyone who follows this simple rule for peak hours helps the entire country.

Please explain this to your relatives, friends and neighbors to guide our national unity towards a common and much needed result.

Today I had a lot of meetings and communication regarding infrastructure restoration. Another general meeting on the energy situation is scheduled for tomorrow. We are working out all possible scenarios. And, of course, all this is combined with our measures to strengthen defense against drones.

We should remember that the very fact of Russia’s appeal to Iran for such assistance is the Kremlin’s recognition of its military and political bankruptcy.

For decades, they’ve been spending billions of dollars on their military-industrial complex, and in the end they went to bow to Tehran to get rather simple drones and missiles.

It won’t help them strategically anyway. It only further proves to the world that Russia is on the trajectory of its defeat and is trying to draw someone else into its accomplices in terror.

We will definitely ensure an appropriate international reaction to this.

But now, at the tactical level, the terrorists may still have certain hopes, calculations, new illusions due to Iranian drones. All this will fall apart, just as their previous calculations.

237 days of this war prove that we are able to find an answer to any threats. If we act together – all Ukrainians and nations of the free world.

Today we have an important decision from Estonia – its parliament designated Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. And this is another European step to ensure that the actual reality of Russian terror and the European official attitude towards Russia completely coincide. Terror must receive all types of response – on the battlefield, with sanctions and legally. I am grateful to our Estonian friends for this!

We will continue our work at all levels so that other countries adopt similar decisions.

I held a meeting on working out in UN structures our draft resolution on the creation of a compensation mechanism that would provide compensation at the expense of Russian assets for all the damage caused by this war. We are gradually moving in this direction as well. The terrorist state will inevitably pay for everything it has done.

Another expansion of our United24 platform took place today. This public fundraising platform has already raised more than $200 million from people in dozens of countries.

Oleksandr Usyk became the new ambassador of United24. I just spoke with him and thanked him for his willingness to work for Ukraine.

Oleksandr will focus on projects devoted to the reconstruction of our country, in particular in the Kyiv region.

Let me just remind you that Andriy Shevchenko, Elina Svitolina, Imagine Dragons, creative director of Balenciaga Demna, Liev Schreiber, Barbra Streisand and Mark Hamill are already ambassadors along with Usyk.

Today, 2 billion euros of macro-financial aid from the European Union were allocated to Ukraine’s accounts. This is important for us – for the social support of our people. We are very grateful. We expect other tranches under this package with a total volume of 9 billion euros.

I am grateful to all friends of Ukraine!

I am grateful to everyone who fights and works for our victory!

No matter what the enemy plans and does, our perspective is clear: Ukraine will defend itself.

Glory to Ukraine!