The first battle for Kyiv was won! Glory to Ukrainian army!

Dear Ukrainians!

After 39 days of repelling a full-scale russian invasion, many of us are relieved to hear the good news.

The russian occupiers were defeated near Kyiv. Ukrainian defenders have won the first battle for our capital.

The Kyiv region was liberated from the enemy. The enemy is also retreating in Chernihiv and Sumy regions to regroup forces and change the direction of the strikes.

This indisputably evidences that the kremlin`s plans were thwarted.

At the same time, our hearts are filled with pain for hundreds of civilians who were brutally executed by russian soldiers.

Only in Bucha the death toll is already higher than in Vukovar.

Shots in the back of the heads of men and women with their hands tied are utterly inhuman. These killings are not perceived as part of the war. It is even hard to qualify them as terrorism or crime.

They are the essence, the nature of these mad butchers that invaded our land. This is what the SS troops used to do in the past.

This evil simply cannot go unpunished.

Our intelligence is consistently identifying all invaders and killers. All of them! And each killer will at his own time get what he “deserves”.

We bow our heads to our soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect the capital from this scourge.

Heavy fighting now continues in Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Our troops are pressing on the occupiers in Kherson region. Chernihiv remains in a difficult situation. The defenders of Mariupol, who have already become the legends of today, are fighting heroically.

It seems that everyone has realized by now that the highest value in Ukraine are people.

Thousands and thousands of people today are fighting for the future of Ukraine and for the next generations of Ukrainians. For the right of the Ukrainian people to determine their own destiny and never live under the yoke of tormentors.

I want to distinguish several special Ukrainians: the commanders of our army.

First and foremost, it is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Valery Zaluzhnyi. A lot can be said. But the most importnt thing is that he is a Warrior who meets the level of challenges facing Ukraine. And those are huge.

Also, members of his team: the Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Lieutenant General Yevhen Moisyuk, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Colonel General Mykola Balan, as well as the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Hero of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Serhiy Shaptala. As well as all officers of the General Staff.

I want every person to understand. There is no single war leader in Europe who has the military command experience of such magnitude. Not a single one! There are only a few of them in the world.

I cannot help but mention those who should be thanked for preserving our capital.

First of all, it is the Commander of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who is directly responsible for the defence of Kyiv and Kyiv region.

After repelling the first wave of invasion, which may not be the last one, much remains to be done to be prepared for any scenario. I am confident that the experience of the Hero of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Oleksandr Pavliuk, who met the russian invasion with dignity in the Joint Forces Operation area and is now the Head of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration, will contribute to it.

Secondly, Kyiv was largely saved by heroic soldiers in Chernihiv and Sumy regions under the direct command of the Commander of the North Operation Command, Hero of Ukraine, Major General Viktor Nikolyuk.

Ancient Chernihiv with its unbreakable defenders turned into an impregnable fortress for the enemy. Several cities in the Sumy region at once took the hit and withstood it with dignity. The enemy is fleeing, even though it has more machinery. It just has no people like ours.

The Special Operations Forces, our artillerymen, paratroopers, aviation and all types of forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are real heroes!

Thirdly, I want to single out the Chief of the Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, Major General Kyrylo Budanov, and all military intelligence officers. The servicemembers of our Intelligence are working real miracles in different parts of the front. Someday books will be written about them. They did a great deal to neutralize the most trained russian occupiers near Kyiv.

I want to emphasize the genuine fighting camaraderie that has emerged during this time. Our soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the operatives of the Main Intelligence Directorate fought side by side with the special units of the Security Service of Ukraine and the National Police, soldiers of our National Guard, Border Guard and territorial defence: those are people who defended their homes from the russian intruders.

We will definitely mention them by name and thank the brigadiers, battalion commanders, colonels, sergeants and soldiers who have distinguished themselves in this war.

I will talk of our best again and again.

Since the beginning of the invasion, we already have 84 Heroes of Ukraine in our Armed Forces. Sadly, 42 titles were awarded posthumously. Hundreds of men and women were honored with high state awards. Because they are worthy of them.

Also, during this period 18 true officers were granted the rank of brigadier general. This is a new generation of high-ranking commanders, a manifestation of the modern Ukrainian army forged not in cabinets, but in battle.

Today all Ukraine is forged in battle.

And will definitely win.

Glory to Ukraine!

Olexiy Reznikov, Minister of Defense

Source: Ministry of Defense