NIKOLENKO: 1,000 Days of the Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine

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Today marks a solemn milestone in Ukraine’s fight for freedom, independence, and democracy. For 1,000 days and nights, the people of Ukraine have been defending themselves against the full-scale invasion of the Russian army.

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When Russia, a country with military might and nuclear weapons, invaded Ukraine in February 2022, very few people believed Ukraine would last long. Pessimists gave Ukraine seventy-two hours. Optimists thought Ukraine would be taken over by Russia in a week. They were all proven wrong.

Moscow’s goal has always been the same

For Ukraine, this is an existential war. For the last hundred years, the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and then Putin’s Russia have been trying to eradicate the Ukrainian nation, its identity, language, culture, and history. The rulers in Moscow have never liked the idea of Ukraine being an independent state, rich in fertile soil, mineral resources, vast forests and rivers, and hardworking people willing to define their destiny themselves.

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Just as in 1932-1933, when the Stalin regime tried to suppress Ukraine through the Holodomor, a man-made famine, his successor, Vladimir Putin, occupied Crimea and launched a war in Donbas in 2014, then attacked Ukraine on a larger scale in 2022. The goal has been the same, and so have the methods.

For 1,000 days, the Ukrainian defenders, through their bravery and resilience, have destroyed many myths. One such myth was that Russia had the second-strongest army in the world. The Russian army indeed has been the second-strongest — but only in Ukraine. The Ukrainian people have proven that Russia can be defeated.

Since the full-scale invasion, Ukrainian troops have secured numerous successes on the battlefield, including liberating the Kyiv region, the city of Kherson, and the Kharkiv region; sinking 20% of the Russian Black Sea fleet; destroying thousands of tanks, hundreds of airplanes, and other equipment and launching a defensive operation in Russia’s Kursk region.

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The daily reality in Ukraine

All this comes at a great cost. The intense fighting on the frontlines, daily missile and drone attacks on cities and villages, destruction of critical infrastructure, including hospitals and schools, the kidnapping of the Ukrainian children, and the torture of civilians in occupied territories – this is the reality the people of Ukraine are enduring right now. But we have no choice but to continue fighting. If we lay down our arms, there will be no Ukraine and no Ukrainian nation.

Two critical elements for Ukraine’s victory

I am absolutely confident that Ukraine will win this war. But two critical elements are required to accomplish this goal. First, the determination of the Ukrainian people to continue fighting. This element is already there – despite all the physical and moral exhaustion, our determination is as high and unwavering as ever. Second, Ukraine needs the means to secure victory — military equipment, financial resources, and efficient economic measures against Russia.

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We will always be grateful to Canadians

Canada has been a great friend, ally, and partner of Ukraine since the beginning of the invasion. We are grateful for the military equipment and other types of support that help Ukraine defend itself. The support comes not only at the level of government but also from the people. We will always remember how Canadians, including Manitobans, opened their hearts and doors to Ukrainian displaced persons who found shelter in Canada over the last two and a half years while fleeing the war.

We will also remember Canadian volunteers, including those from this province, who came to fight for Ukraine’s freedom. Regrettably, some of them, like Austin Lathlin-Bercier, a 25-year-old member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation, have fallen. Their sacrifices will never be forgotten in Ukraine.

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Victory for Ukraine means victory for all democratic nations

As we express our gratitude to our partners and friends, we also remind them that we need more support to bring a just peace for Ukraine closer. The Ukrainian people have suffered enough. Now is the time to take additional measures to pave the way to achieve Ukraine’s victory: providing more air defence systems and ammunition, closing loopholes by which Moscow bypasses international sanctions and implementing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s peace formula. These are the main elements that will put an end to the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War Two, in accordance with international law and the UN Charter.

I am confident that this is all possible. Supporting Ukraine is not charity. First and foremost, it is an investment in the strengthening of the rules-based order.

Victory for Ukraine means victory for democracy over tyranny.

— Oleh Nikolenko, Consul General of Ukraine in Toronto

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