Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged his people to persevere in the face of Russian attacks as the country celebrates Christmas.
In a defiant speech on Saturday, he said: “Freedom comes at a high price. But slavery has an even higher price.”
Russia’s missile and drone attacks have left millions of Ukrainians without power, heating and running water.
Earlier on Saturday, Russian air strikes killed 10 people in Ukraine’s southern Kherson city, officials said.
“We endured at the beginning of the war – we withstood attacks, threats, nuclear blackmail, terror, missile strikes. We will endure this winter because we know what we are fighting for,” he said.
“Even in complete darkness, we will find each other to hug each other tightly. And if there is no heat, we will embrace each other for a long time to warm one another,” he said.
“We will smile and be happy, as always. There is one difference – we will not wait for a miracle, since we are creating it ourselves.”
“We have been fighting them for more than 300 days and eight years. Will we allow them to achieve what they want?” he said, referring to Russia’s 2014 occupation of Crimea.