President's Address on Independence Day. Piercing words and incredible footage.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Ukrainians on Ukraine's Independence Day. He filmed his video address in Sumy region, near the place where the Russians began their attack on Ukraine.

Dear people!

Ukrainians always pay their debts. And those who wished harm to our land will receive it at home. With interest. Those who want to sow evil on our land will reap it on their own territory. This is not a prophecy, not gloating, not blind revenge, this is - inevitability. Justice. Boomerang for evil. And its launch began near the place where I am recording this address. Sumy region. Mogritsa. Psel River. A few kilometers from our border. The border between Ukraine and captivity, between life and death. The border between an independent European state and the world's number one terrorist organization.

913 days ago, partly through the Sumy region, Russia waged war on us. It violated not only sovereign borders but also the limits of cruelty and common sense. Boundlessly desiring one thing: to destroy us. Instead, today we celebrate the 33rd Independence Day of Ukraine. And what the enemy carried to our land has now returned to his home. And those who wanted to turn our lands into a buffer zone must think about how to prevent their country from becoming a buffer federation. This is how independence responds. It avenges our peaceful citizens, who are hit by KABs and "daggers", for our gray-haired parents, for our children who are forced to study underground. For all our people who would prefer never to know the names of these cursed places: "Savvasleyka", "Olenya", "Engels". But unfortunately, Ukrainians know them. And therefore our enemy will also know what Ukrainian retribution is like. Dignified, symmetrical, long-range. It will know that to every point in the Russian Federation, which is a source of danger to the life of our state and our people, sooner or later, the Ukrainian response will arrive.

Ukraine has been independent for 33 years and amazes the world with its bravery. It serves as an example of how not to give in to Putin. It unites the entire Earth around Ukrainian values. Terrorists should be judged in The Hague, not in Valdai. And no one in the world will ever ask again: "Where is Ukraine?" Because on every continent they say: "Ukraine must win." This charges our independence. Ukraine does not need foreign territories. We need peace and calm along our entire border, which is 6992 kilometers long. We stand guard over our values on land, at sea, in the air, throughout the country.

Our independence is supported by our warriors who stand on all fronts and border posts. Our will and struggle are symbolized by our defenders who hold Ukraine on their shoulders. I thank each of you, guys. You have been exemplarily defending our independence for 913 days.

Thank you to everyone who helps our warriors and our country, who works to keep independence alive and functioning. Thank you to our doctors, rescuers, firefighters, energy workers, volunteers and entrepreneurs, police officers, farmers, railway workers, teachers and students. Thank you to all Ukrainians here and abroad who help, tell the world about Ukraine. Thanks to those who are with Ukraine in the occupied territories. All of you, to whom I am infinitely grateful. And to all who care about the independence of our country. We depend on ourselves.

We know how hard it is to restore and protect independence. But everything depends on us. We know what independence looks like and we feel its freedom. It's in our eyes, in our gazes, in our cities and villages. It sounds: "Happy Independence Day, Ukrainians! Glory to Ukraine!"

The USA has announced new military aid for Ukraine on the occasion of Independence Day.