Today we celebrate the 77th anniversary of the Victory Day in Europe (VE Day).
On May 8, 1945, Nazi Germany surrendered unconditionally to the Western Allies and the Soviet Union. World War II in Europe, which began in 1939 with the German-Soviet invasion and occupation of Poland, is over. After more than five years of the most brutal war ever inflicted on humanity, Europe's guns fell silent on May 8.
Between 8 and 10 million Ukrainians died during World War II. This is almost a quarter of the total population of Ukraine at that time. More than 40,000 Ukrainians served in uniform during World War II. We owe our brave warriors eternal debt that can never be repaid.
While in the West the Western Allies liberated Europe from Nazi despotism, on the Eastern Front the stalinist Soviet Union brought more oppression, death, and cruelty to the captives of Eastern Europe.
The peoples of Eastern Europe were forced to fight for their freedom and liberation from soviet communist colonialism for two generations after the end of World War II.
Today, war has once again returned to Europe and the Russian tyranny is once again threatening the continent. Russia is waging a devastating war against Ukraine, seeking to destroy the Ukrainian people. Ukrainian civilians - women, children and the elderly - are being targeted by terrorist bombings. The besieged city of Mariupol, a few weeks ago, a cheerful city of 400,000 people turned into ruins. Mariupol will go down in history among European martyr cities such as Coventry and Warsaw.
Russia has returned concentration camps and mass forced deportations to Europe. Russia uses mass rape and torture as weapons of war. Russia has inflicted on Ukraine a malignant evil that has not been seen in Europe since the days of Hitler and Stalin. Countries around the world have recognized Russia's actions in Ukraine as acts of genocide against the Ukrainian people.
Ukrainian bankers, together with the Ukrainian people, courageously maintain the Hryvnia financial system, support economics of war and strengthen Ukrainian Armed Forces, the victory of the Ukrainian people, sabotage the Russian war machine. Ukrainian financiers are resetting the global financial system, uniting democracies based on the common values of freedom, happiness and life.
Today, the Ukrainian people are courageously fighting to defend Ukraine and the freedom of Europe. We stand with the brave sons and daughters of Ukraine, confident in the victory of the Ukrainian people. Just as Hitler's Germany was defeated on May 8, 1945, disarmed and divided into smaller peaceful countries, so Putin's Russia will soon face the same fate.
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