Dear Ukrainian people!

Today marks 200 days of our resistance. Our struggle. Our homeland war. For freedom, for independence, for the right to exist. In these 200 days, we have achieved much, but most importantly, and thus hardest, lies ahead. And this appeal I want to dedicate to those who are ahead. To those who now find it hardest because they do what is most important.

This is for all the defenders and defenderesses of Ukraine. All those who have stood strong for 200 days, thus standing Ukraine up. Strong, therefore we are free. Unbreakable, therefore we are independent. Our fighters who heroically held back the enemy but now do not hold themselves back. And drive the occupier north, south and east. On all fronts but moving in only one direction—forward to victory.

200 days of Ukrainian resistance. Almost 5 thousand hours. Almost 300 thousand minutes. Almost 20 million seconds. And exactly as many reasons to say "thank you" to everyone who made this possible today. A million times over. Without any "almosts." To say that we believe in them, their victory. Without any "almosts."

This is for all our soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Land forces, our infantry. You know better than anyone else: war has little romance and much hard work. These days, it's being heroically and selflessly carried out by our separate mechanized brigades. 92nd—named after the Cossack Ataman Ivan Sirko. 54th—named after Hetman Ivan Mazepa. 14th—named after Prince Roman the Great. The Separate Infantry Brigade No. 60 Inguletska. Step by step in Kharkiv, Kherson, Donbas, with weapons, shovels, hands, teeth—you carve out every meter, every ridge, every city and village of ours.

This is for our tankers. Those who forge the future victory in gauntlets. And today, on their professional holiday. This is 3rd, 4th, 5th Separate Tank Brigades, tank regiments and battalions, tank companies within the Land Forces, Separate Tank Brigade No. 17 Kryvyi Rih named after Konstantin Pestushko. Especially—the Separate Tank Brigade No. 1 Northern. I sincerely congratulate all of you and everyone involved with the Day of the Tanker.

This is for our rocket forces and artillery. You are rightly called "gods of war." You send occupiers to God's judgment. You send devils back to hell. Today, this is done with particular zeal and fire in your eyes by Separate Artillery Brigade No. 406 named after General Hetman Oleksiy Almazov. We thank its fighters and all those we affectionately call "our artillery."

How to describe your meticulous work in two words? Accurately and loudly. We thank you for every "accurate" and every "loud." For all the destroyed enemy columns, depots, bases, and headquarters. Important crossings and bridges. Where your efforts burn and where the enemy has violated fire safety rules. In people and on social media everyone wishes you precise calculations and new hits, while to the occupiers they say in their language: "Stop smoking wherever you want. Smoke where it hasn't hit yet."

This is for our air forces. Bombardment, assault, destruction, reconnaissance, military transport aviation. Defending Ukraine, you are always at the height.

This is for our airborne troops. You are always first! Because no one else can be! These slogans—more than just words. Eight years and 200 days the enemy knows this. And today occupiers especially feel the strength and might of the 79th Airborne Brigade, 25th and 80th Air Assault Brigades. Especially in Kharkiv Oblast, which you are successfully liberating from enemies. And in Donetsk Oblast, where you are successfully holding back the enemy.

We are confident: there will be one finale—your victory. No need to read forecasts; it's enough to read your oath. You—young men of Ukraine's Armed Forces. You never accept defeat. You never shy away from difficulties. You never leave a fellow soldier in danger. You are always ready to destroy the enemies of Ukraine in battle. You—young men of Ukraine's Armed Forces!

This is for our naval forces. You proved: it doesn't matter what enemy fleet, what flagship they have when on your side—Neptune. Guarding home shores. Missile boats, artillery, mine-sweeping and landing ships, naval aviation, naval artillery, and of course the marines. Especially I want to highlight 503rd Separate Marine Battalion. On your shoulder patches: "If there's an advance—it's us." In our hearts: "If you—then success and victory."

This is for Ukraine's air defense forces. Anti-aircraft missile troops, radio-technical troops, anti-aircraft artillery of land and naval forces. You hear the air raid siren differently than most. Most head to shelters. You aim your gaze upwards to destroy enemy rockets, planes, helicopters, drones.

This is for our reconnaissance units. For obvious reasons, very few people know your names, faces. Your operations are rarely written about in news but will certainly be in military science textbooks. Your successes often go unnoticed and unremarked upon by our people but always hurt and are felt by the enemy.

These days especially stand out soldiers of reconnaissance battalion No. 131 of Ukraine's Military Intelligence. Those who are always ahead. I thank you, thank all units of Main Intelligence Directorate and all our scouts for whom we always see, hear, know, act. And will surely win.

This is for our special forces, Special Operations Forces. Those who go "on the offensive." Those who prevail not in numbers but quality. Those with special strength to fight on the edge of possible and impossible.

This is for Territorial Defense Forces. Especially highlighting fighters of separate 115th and 117th territorial defense brigades.

This is for our medical forces who save the lives of our soldiers. This is for our military clergy, chaplains praying for the lives of our soldiers. This is for our engineers, communications personnel, cyber army.

Those who have defended and served the state shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine's Armed Forces for eight years, 200 days and now. I thank all fighters of National Guard, its special forces, especially 15th Slavyansk Regiment. Thank everyone on our border guards. Officers and staff of Security Service of Ukraine, National Police, State Emergency Service, firefighters, rescuers, sappers. And together—all our soldiers, defenders, best sons and daughters of Ukraine who today are liberating the north, south and east.

To all those who over 200 days destroyed more than 2,000 enemy tanks, 4,500 combat armored vehicles, over 1,000 enemy artillery systems, 250 planes and 200 helicopters and almost 1,000 drones of the occupier, 15 ships and boats, thousands of other enemy units.

Who liberated hundreds of our cities and villages. Who broke the enemy's plans because they didn't break themselves. To all who held defense and protected Kyiv. Saved our capital, thus saving our faith in victory.

To those who strengthened and multiplied it by protecting Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro. Who defended Mariupol and "Azovstal." Liberated Kyiv region, Zhytomyr region, Chernihiv region, Sumy region. Bucha, Irpin, Borodyanka, Voznesensk, Hostomel, Makariv, Ochtyrka, Sumy. And now—Balakliya, Izium, Kupyansk.

To those who liberated and are liberating all temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Who will once again bring life and the Ukrainian flag to Kherson, Berdyansk, Melitopol, Luhansk, Gorlivka, Mariupol, Donetsk, Yalta, Dzhankoy, Kerch, Evpatoria, Simferopol. Those who for all these 200 days give their all.

The enemy said they were lost, that they went on training. You taught them a lot. How to quickly pack up and leave our land and the understanding that by abandoning equipment and weapons, it can be done much faster and easier.

Many will forever learn that one should say "in Ukraine" not "on Ukraine." This is for all who stepped on our soil and stayed in it. Many will forever remember what awaits all unwanted guests in Ukraine.

These are our soldiers. Today your actions in the north, south and east of Ukraine are seen and celebrated by everyone. The world is captivated. The enemy—panicked. Ukraine is proud of you, believes in you, prays for you, waits for you.

This is a difficult path—to victory. But we are sure it's within your reach. You will come to our border, on all its sections. See our borders and the enemy’s backs. See how our people's eyes shine and those of the occupier dim. They'll call this "acts of goodwill." We'll call it a victory.

We believe in you, in those who for these 200 days have been out there at -15 or +35 degrees Celsius, at two o'clock in the morning or six in the morning, on an ordinary Monday or Independence Day, despite fatigue and danger, doing their duty, risking their lives to defend their country.

To all who were truly ready. Who don't mind rumors and fake news. Who write history in real life. History of independence. History of victory. History of Ukraine. Our soldiers, our fighters, our defenders. For us—truly the first army of the world.

Glory to you!

Glory to Ukraine!»