President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that the residents of all temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including Crimea, should know that Ukraine will definitely return there, and with it, a full-fledged life will return. The Head of State said this while talking to journalists in de-occupied Izyum during a working trip to the Kharkiv region.
"We should send signals to our people who, unfortunately, are still under occupation. And my signal to the people in Crimea: we know that these are our people, and it is a terrible tragedy that they have been under occupation for more than eight years. We will return there. I don't know when exactly. But we have plans, and we will return there, because this is our land and our people," said the President.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the residents of the temporarily occupied Crimea have been under the pressure of the propaganda of the Russian Federation all these years, but when Ukraine returns to the peninsula, Crimeans will see the falsehood of Russian television and propaganda.
"Because we know that the truth is on our side," the Head of State emphasized.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted the warmth with which the Ukrainian warriors are greeted in the liberated territories.
"This is a very emotional moment. This means that together with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, life is coming back," he said.
Talking about his impressions of what he saw in the de-occupied Izyum, Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that he knew this region very well even before he became the President of Ukraine, so what he saw was shocking.
"What we see is shocking, although we have already seen this in Bucha, in the first de-occupied territories. Likewise, destroyed buildings, killed people... Unfortunately, this is part of our history today. And this is part of the modern Russian nation – what they did," the Head of State noted.
He thanked international partners for sending investigators and prosecutors to Ukraine, who help in collecting materials related to crimes committed by Russia in the de-occupied territories.
"We all understand that this process takes time. Our Office of the Prosecutor General is working, performing important tasks. They enable both journalists and investigators to come to these places and find important details," said the President.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that the main thing for Ukraine is to remain as open as possible in these issues.
"And then, I am sure, there will be verdicts for all this, there will be a tribunal. I don't doubt it for a second," the Head of State summed up.
