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Wishing Ukrainians on the occasion of Christmas, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for peace while also slamming Russia for launching a massive attack on the eve of the festival.
In his Christmas address, Zelenskyy said that the Ukrainians will be "happier" when they do not have to hear the sounds of drones and missiles. "The night brings magic. This night is truly about everything that makes Ukrainians who we are. This is the fourth year of full-scale war for independence. There have been attempts to take all this away from us, and this is what we are defending today, our land, our families, that longed-for feeling of peace. Sadly, not all of us are at home this evening. Sadly, not everyone still has a home. But despite all the sufferings that Russia has brought, it is not capable of occupying and bombing what matters most, that is, the Ukrainian heart, our faith and unity," he said. "We are happy when we hear the music of Christmas, but even happier when we do not hear the music of evil, when we do not hear drones and missiles flying overhead," the Ukrainian President added. Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy sounded an alarm over Russia's sanctions dodging and global security risks, citing Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service head, Oleh Ivashchenko's report of Russia's attempts to circumvent international sanctions through energy companies and fictitious schemes. In a post on X, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is tracking these moves and collaborating with partners to maintain pressure on Russia. "Several key areas. First - Russia's attempts to move its energy companies out from under global sanctions. They are using other temporary owners and numerous fictitious legal schemes. We are tracking all of this and will communicate with our partners to ensure that pressure continues to work and that Russia is prevented from making money for its war through such manipulations," he said. Ivashchenko's report also highlighted Russia's deployment of Oreshnik systems in Belarus, posing a global threat and prompting Ukraine to prepare joint response options with allies. "Second - the deployment of Oreshnik systems on the territory of Belarus. Intelligence has obtained additional details on this, and it is important that our partners are also aware of them and take them into account in their defensive measures. We believe that the aggressive proliferation of such weapons poses a global threat and creates a dangerous precedent. I have instructed that response options be prepared jointly with our partners," the post added. Zelenskyy further noted the increased cooperation between Russia and China in intelligence sharing."Third - the state of Russia's military production and its cooperation with companies and entities from other countries. In particular, we are recording increased ties between Russia and entities in China that may be providing space-based intelligence data," the post read. (ANI)
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