On the Day of Territorial Defense of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with servicemen of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and presented state awards to them.
The Head of State emphasized that the Territorial Defense Forces demonstrate the nationwide character of the Ukrainian resistance in the war for the independence of our country.
"The whole nation defends the state from the full-scale aggression of the Russian Federation — both those who decided to devote their life to serving the state with weapons in hands and those who had various professions before February 24 yet took up arms to oust the invaders from our land together with all kinds of troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The President noted that warriors of territorial defense protect Ukraine wherever it is threatened by the enemy.
"The Kharkiv region is liberated, in particular, by the military units of the territorial defense from Podillia and Kyiv region. The people of Dnipropetrovsk region, Kyiv, Zakarpattia and Vinnytsia region are fighting for the Donetsk region, Luhansk region, Kherson region side by side with everyone, with local people. Our native Mykolaiv region and Zaporizhzhia region are defended, in particular, by the people of Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk," said the Head of State.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that today all of Ukraine is united in the fight against the aggressor, so we will definitely win.
"We will be able to gain our independence for all generations of our people. And to guarantee it, to guarantee the safety of our people, we will ensure the systematic development of the Territorial Defense Forces. When the people are armed, when our people know how to defend themselves, this is the best foundation of our national security," the President emphasized.
The attendees honored the memory of the heroes who died in the battles for the independence of Ukraine with a moment of silence.
The President presented state awards to servicemen of the Territorial Defense Forces.
The ceremony was also attended by Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhny, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Serhiy Shaptala, Commander of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Ihor Tantsiura.
The Commander of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces presented a commemorative plaque on the occasion of the Territorial Defense Day to the President.
