President Zelenskyy: Russian blackmail demands a tough response

“To all our people: when there are air raid alerts and missile threats, we must go to shelters. This is a firm rule – a rule that does not depend on any statements coming from Russia,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a traditional address to the Ukrainian nation on Nov. 28.

Dear Ukrainians!

Briefly about today.

Restoration work is still ongoing after the Russian attack. Over 90 missiles and nearly 100 strike drones were launched. The targets were energy infrastructure and ordinary civilian objects. Many were shot down, and our electronic warfare systems performed well, but unfortunately, there were also hits. Some of the strikes involved Kalibr missiles with cluster warheads – a particularly dangerous type of Russian weaponry used against civilians. These significantly complicated the work of our rescuers and repair crews. Despite all the risks, our people have been working all day, gradually restoring electricity in areas where outages occurred. I am grateful to everyone who has been at work since early morning and will continue to work around the clock to restore basic normalcy to people’s lives.

Today, Ukraine’s Minister of Energy Galushchenko delivered a report on the pace of restoration. There is also a decision by the Netherlands to provide additional launchers for the Pаtriot systems, and it is timely. Thank you! Norway has made a significant decision to increase its support for Ukraine next year. The Norwegian government and parliament have agreed on a minimum funding level of $3.2 billion for aid to Ukraine. On days like these, when we face massive Russian strikes, it is crucial to feel that our partners stand shoulder to shoulder with us.

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