A Message from Ukraine

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continuing my tradition of starting off the new year with some words of hope and perseverance (see previous years: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2018). Within the last century, Ukraine has endured Soviet rule, including the atrocity of the Holodomor . The Ukrainian dissident movement embodied some of the people’s struggles. The author of Cappy and the Whale on her love for fairy tales, crocheting, and an embarrassing encounter at a swimming pool. Asked what he would tell his commanders, one said bluntly: “They are faggots”. Another phrase frequently used is oni obmanuli nas: they duped us. Eight days after Vladimir Putin’s invasion it is clear that a significant number of his servicemen are demoralised and reluctant to fight. Some have given themselves up.

A Message from Ukraine by Volodymyr Zelensky, review: witty

To me, this is the absolute bare minimum I can stomach. To me, “we” should include the entire world. Though, I do understand that sound somewhat naive, I do understand why that would become logistically near impossible… at this time. Ukrainian and Russian have some words that sound nearly the same, but they mean entirely different things. These words are known as “false friends” or “false cognates.” An example is родина , which means “family” in Ukrainian, but “homeland” in Russian. Such differences in meaning can lead to misunderstandings. But having had the dubious privilege of listening to many world leaders' speeches as a Telegraph foreign correspondent, I can say one thing about this collection that I can say about very few others. Namely, that I read every single one of them without nodding off.

Zelensky’s] speeches have been compared to Winston Churchill’s. Now his messages—of hope, defiance, bravery, anger—have been collected into a remarkable book.” —The Times Magazine If you want to understand who we are, where we are from, what we want and where we are going, you need to learn more about who we are. This book will help you do just that.' President Volodymyr Zelensky This process did not start on 24 February. Ukraine did not appear on the world map in early 2022. Ukrainians were not born in the moment of the rf's invasion. We were, we are and we will be; we have existed, we exist, and will continue to exist. And so, while we appreciate the help, support, and and attention the world has given us, the bravery of our people must not start being taken for granted. War must not become routine. "

Ukraine news | CNN February 25, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news | CNN

A very important read now and in the future. As of today writing this review and just finishing the book, main areas of Donbas have been damaged by Russia but Ukraine held their ground in the frontlines. If you’re unable to offer refuge or struggling to find the words like many of us are, your actions matter. Please consider donating to these valuable causes. Bringing together a new introduction by Volodymyr Zelensky with his most powerful war speeches, this book recounts Ukraine's story through the words of its president.

And yet in the end I yield to the words of the man who was once the voice of Paddington Bear and who is now the tribune of freedom. John Adams once said that the American nation was talked into being. Zelenskiy is the voice of Ukraine and, as he might say himself, our voice too. The book will be published by Penguin Random House’s Hutchinson Heinemann in the UK, and will also be published in countries including the US, Germany, Spain and Portugal. Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy is to publish a collection of his war speeches, which his publisher has described as “a battle cry for the world to speak out and fight for liberty”.