President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the nation, speaking about the price of calm in rear areas and the preparation for several important international events that could give our country more strength.

"I wish health to all dear Ukrainians!

Today I want to focus on words of gratitude.

First – to the soldiers. To everyone who is now in battle, at positions, on combat missions. Avdiivka, Mariinka, Bakhmut, Lyman direction, Severnyi…

35th Separate Marine Brigade named after Admiral Ostrogorodsky, 55th Separate Artillery Brigade "Zaporizhzhya Sich", paratroopers of our "seventy-ninth" – thank you, soldiers! Always brave and strong!

80th Brigade of Special Forces – thank you for exemplary destruction of the enemy under Bakhmut. Well done, guys!

54th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Hetman Mazepa – thank you for steadfastness and defense of positions, thus defending Ukraine! This is important to understand in every city, village, everywhere where it's relatively quiet today. Everywhere where there was just a peaceful sunny spring day. Every day of such calm in rear areas is earned by our soldiers in fierce battles at the front lines. In daily battles! Please respect this and always support our soldiers when needed, always support the state and defense as much as possible.

Second – to rescuers, all our employees of State Emergency Service involved in mitigating enemy attacks consequences. Thank you to everyone at SES! And separately for work this week I would like to highlight our firefighters-rescuers – Sergeant Roman Svitlichnyi, Sergeant Petro Bondarenko, Senior Sergeant Oleksii Ingulskyi, commander of the 5th State Fire and Rescue Post Senior Lieutenant Oleksandr Ivanenko, head of the 13th fire and rescue unit in Nemiriv Major Vasyl Melnyk and Deputy Head of SES Main Directorate in Poltava Oblast Colonel Viktor Kuzmenko. Thank you!

Third – our psychologists. Today is a professional day for psychologists in our country, and I thank everyone who chose this profession and dedicates their life and time to the health and peace of others. No matter where or when they work, under what conditions it happens, the purpose of a psychologist's work is always noble – to help. Thank you to those who are helping our people!

Fourth point. Since the 90s, every year on April 23rd World Book and Copyright Day is celebrated. Now when millions of our people are in different countries, when Ukrainian children live and study in a different linguistic and cultural environment, it's especially important for me to think that through Ukrainian books, Ukrainian perspective on the world still unites our people, preserves connection with home.

And I thank everyone who helps spread our books around the world. Who implements such projects as "Books Without Borders". Over 280 thousand books were distributed last year within this project alone. Twenty countries joined in. Or another of our projects – Ukrainian bookshelves in almost forty countries worldwide. Thank you to all who help. I thank all our Ukrainian publishers who continue their work. And, of course, I thank everyone who writes in and about Ukraine.

And finally, fifth. We are continuing to prepare several important international events that could give more strength to our country and more weapons to our soldiers. Almost every day – corresponding communication with partners, relevant tasks for our diplomacy. Meetings, talks, meetings.

And I thank everyone involved in such preparatory work. In the overwhelming majority of cases this is invisible work for the public. And that's right how it should be. The result is based on preparation. Thank you to each and every one who prepares results for Ukraine! Office, government, our diplomatic missions – thank you all who are involved!

Our victory in this war will be a collective effort. To everyone who brought it closer. Everyone who fought and worked for the victory. Glory to every Ukrainian hero! Glory to our wonderful people!

Glory to Ukraine!"