Zelensky: Ukrainians Are Wishing Death Upon Putin For Christmas

In-between messages about family and faith, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the “Godless” and inhuman Russians, stating “we share one dream” in a clear reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, delivered his customary Christmas Eve address on Wednesday night — in many Eastern European countries, Christmas Eve is as culturally significant, if not more so than Christmas day — in which he spoke of “love for our homes, our roots, our traditions”, the birth of Jesus Christ, and the Russian invader.

Ukraine traditionally celebrated Christmas on January 7th, in line with the Julian calendar conventions of Orthodoxy, but switched to December 25th in 2023 to ensure Ukrainians wouldn’t celebrate the birth of Christ on the same day as the Russian invaders. Making an oblique reference to this, President Zelensky said in his Christmas Eve address: “millions of us will wait for the first star in the sky tonight… Ukrainians are together tonight, marking Christmas on the same date as one big family”.

Speaking of the war, Zelensky noted: “for the fourth year in a row there have been attempts to take [Christmas] away from us, and that is exactly what we are defending today, our land, our families, that longed-for feeling of peace, and calm in our own home… despite all the suffering Russia has brought, it is not capable of bombing what matters most, our Ukrainian heart”.

Russia launched further air strikes overnight into Wednesday, the morning of Christmas Eve, and Zelensky cited these attacks as as proof of Russia’s Godlesness and inhumanity. He said: “on the eve of Christmas the Russians once again showed us who they truly are, massive shelling, hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles… this is how the Godless strike. This is how those act who have absolutely nothing in common with Christianity or anything human, but we are holding on”.

Although he did not mention the President of the Russian Federation by name, he made what appeared to be an implicit reference, stating that Ukrainians were praying for the death of Vladimir Putin. Again referring to the Eastern European tradition of Christmas beginning with young people watching the sky for the first star on Christmas Eve, he said: “since ancient times, Ukrainians have believed on Christmas night that the heavens open and if you tell them your dream, it will surely come true. Today we share one dream, and we make one wish for all of us. ‘May he perish’, each of us may think to ourselves.”

These remarks were tempered, however, with Zelensky saying Ukrainians also turned to God to ask for “something greater, we ask for peace in Ukraine”.

The war continued overnight into Christmas day, with over 130 Russian drones reported to have struck. While a comparatively modest barrage compared to some of Russia’s enormous air raids of the past year, nevertheless at least two people are said to have been killed with dozens injured.

Russia, for their part, said Ukraine also attacked them overnight into the morning, stating their air defence intercepted 141 Ukrainian drones. The Kremlin said one person was injured and two fuel tanks were burnt.