Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday, 80 years after the victory over Nazi Germany, that Russian "evil" must be "fought together".
"It must be fought, together, with determination, with strength," he said in a speech posted on social media, facing the camera in downtown Kyiv. The statement comes after more than three years of Russia's full-scale invasion, which has left tens of thousands dead.
This speech praising the resilience of the Ukrainian people came a few hours after a ceasefire ordered unilaterally by Russian President Vladimir Putin came into effect. Volodymyr Zelenskyy strongly criticised the initiative, saying he did not believe the Russian army would respect the truce.
The ceasefire is due to last three days, until 23:00 on Saturday, to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany.
The Kremlin has planned major celebrations in Moscow, to be attended by some 20 foreign leaders alongside Vladimir Putin, whose army still occupies 20% of Ukrainian territory.
These commemorations are central to the patriotic cult of the 1945 victory promoted by the Russian president, who maintains that the large-scale invasion of Ukraine is a continuation of the war against Hitler.
In his speech, Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the celebrations organised with great pomp and circumstance in Moscow on Friday: "It will be a parade of cynicism" and "lies," he said.
"All occupiers eventually leave our land. Life always goes on. And that is what we are fighting for today. That is what will happen one day," he concluded.
