Address by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, November 6, 2023

“The battle that determines the fate of the state and people is now underway; it is not the right time for elections,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Fellow Ukrainians!

I held a meeting of the Staff. The first issue was related to the tragedy with the servicemen of our 128th separate mountain assault brigade. The military, the Minister of Defense, and the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine delivered reports. The specifics – what has already been figured out about the circumstances of the tragedy, whose orders entailed the tragedy. In particular, Chief Inspector of the Defense Ministry Voronchenko delivered a report. The brigade commander has been suspended for the time of investigation. The whole situation is being analyzed minute by minute. And it will be found out who exactly violated the rules on the safety of people in the area accessible to enemy aerial reconnaissance. There will be no avoidance of responsibility.

The second issue at the Staff meeting was, of course, the reports by the Commander-in-Chief and the commanders on the directions of the main battles. The report of the intelligence. Our offensive actions. Our defensive actions. Avdiivka, Kupyansk, Kherson are the main focal points today. And our operations in the Black Sea. By the way, I thank everyone who ensured the successful targeting of the Russian warship at the Kerch shipyard. This is significant – another source of Russian terror against Ukraine has been eliminated. The Ministry of Strategic Industries and the Ministry of Defense reported on the supply of weapons and equipment to our brigades, the dynamics of defense production in Ukraine, and the fulfillment of contracts and agreements with partners. And I am grateful to all our friends in the world who help Ukraine with reliable, long-term support that strengthens us strategically.

We are preparing for international events in November: today I held a meeting with the team regarding the meetings and negotiations that have already been scheduled. We expect new political activities with the European Union and many other partners in the world, in particular, regarding Ukraine’s global role as a guarantor of food security. The relevant details will be announced in the near future.

And one more thing. A very important one.

Full text of the address: Office of the President of Ukraine