Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to the Ukrainian population at the beginning of spring.Image: keystone
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has welcomed the end of the fourth winter of war and the associated resistance to Russian attacks on his country’s energy system.
Mar 2, 2026, 5:41 a.mMar 2, 2026, 5:41 a.m
“Today is the day when each of us can rightly say: We have survived this winter, the most difficult since the beginning of the war,” said Zelensky in his video address on the first day of meteorological spring.
“The Russians wanted to use this winter to destroy Ukraine and Ukrainians, but Ukraine did not give in.”
In one of the largest attacks on December 6th, Russia attacked over 700 targets, followed by regular attacks against various energy supply objects. “No people have gone through such trials,” said Zelensky. “The Ukrainians have overcome that too.”
With these attacks, which partially interrupted the supply of water, electricity and heat, the Russian armed forces tried to put massive pressure on the Ukrainian civilian population. The Russian attacks with rockets, drones and cruise missiles led to power cuts in various parts of the country for hours, which presented the Ukrainian repair teams with difficult tasks. (sda/dpa)