Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy congratulated his countrymen on having survived the fourth winter of Russia's war against it, praising their resilience in the face of massive Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy system amidst sub-zero temperatures.
"Today is the day when each of us can rightfully say: we have survived this winter, the hardest since the beginning of the war," Zelenskiy said in his video address on Sunday, the first day of the meteorological spring, which runs from March to May in the northern hemisphere.
"The Russians wanted to use this winter to destroy Ukraine and the Ukrainians, but Ukraine did not give in."
Russia had attacked over 700 targets in one of its largest strikes on December 6th, followed by regular attacks against various energy supply facilities.
"No people has endured such trials," said Zelenskiy.
"The Ukrainians have overcome this too."
With these attacks, which partially disrupted the supply of water, electricity, and heat, Russian forces attempted to put massive pressure on the Ukrainian civilian population.
The Russian strikes with missiles, drones, and cruise missiles caused hours-long power outages in various parts of the country, posing enormous challenges for Ukrainian repair crews.
