On October 14 Ukraine celebrates the Defenders’ Day, the Day of Ukrainian Cossacks and Saint Blessed Virgin Veil Day. Today we traditionally honor the courage and heroism of people who defended their Motherland from enemies with a weapon in their hands. Saint Blessed Virgin Veil Day was the greatest feast of the Cossacks, because they considered the Holy Mother of God to be their patroness.
Today is the 233rd day of our fighting. Our struggle. Our Great Patriotic War. For freedom, for independence, for our right to be. During this time we have succeeded a lot, but the most important, and therefore the most difficult, is ahead.
Thanks to our defenders who bravely fought for 233 days Ukraine is also standing. Strong and so we are free. Indestructible and thus we are independent. Our fighters heroically held back the enemy and now are chasing the occupants away from the north, south and east. Along all fronts, but moving only in one direction – forward to Victory.
We believe in you, in those who all these 233 days in -15 or +35, at 2 a.m. or 6 a.m., on a regular Monday or on Independence Day, in spite of tiredness, tension and danger, do your best, risk your lives and defend your country.
We thank you, those who fight, who write history in real life. Independence history. Victory history. Ukraine’s history. Our warriors, our fighters, our defenders. For us definitely the first army in the world.
Eternal memory to all those who gave for the will of our Motherland the most precious thing – their lives. In honor and memory of them, we will rebuild our cities. We will plant new forests. We will clean our land from enemy corpses.
Now there are shadows behind every Ukrainian soldier. The shadows of UPA fighters. The shadows of UNR and ZUNR soldiers. The shadows with Cossack rifles in their transparent hands. Thousands and thousands of shadows of those who fought for this land before.
And they are proud. They are proud of each one of us.
Glory to the Defenders and Protectors!
Glory to Heroes!
Glory to Ukraine!
Honorary consul of the Republic of Moldova
Mykola Skrypkovskyi
