Russia’s large-scale war against Ukraine entered its 1,418th day on Sunday, the same number of days that Nazi Germany fought against the Soviet Union during World War II.
Zelensky marked this occasion by comparing Russia’s attacks in Ukraine to those of the Nazis. He said in his Sunday evening speech that Moscow is reproducing 20th-century fascism.
"Russia's large-scale war against Ukraine has lasted as long as Nazi Germany's war against the Soviet Union. Today marks the 1,418th day of Russia's war against Ukraine. They wanted to repeat and have repeated the mockery of people - repeated fascism, they have repeated almost all the worst things that happened in the 20th century," Zelensky said, according to The Kyiv Independent.
From Operation Barbarossa to the "Kiev in Three Days" operation
Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, on June 22, 1941. The devastating ground war that followed - sometimes referred to as the Eastern Front or Russia's Great Patriotic War - lasted approximately 1,418 days, until Germany's surrender on May 9, 1945.
Despite the aggressive campaign it has been waging for several years, the Kremlin has failed to achieve its military objectives, and the "Kiev in Three Days" operation has entered its 1,418th day.
"Yet, the Russians are trying to conquer the same Donbas as almost four years ago," he emphasized. "They want to lie again, saying they have taken Kupiansk, they die endlessly on the fields of Zaporizhzhia, and still fight against a united Ukraine. This says a lot about the system Putin has built," Zelensky said.
The price Russia pays for continuing the war
Zelensky emphasized that since December, Russia has lost at least 1,000 soldiers (killed) per day.
"This is how Russia pays, practically just to prevent the end of the war. This is madness. And this Russian madness can only be stopped by combined forces - the forces of Europe and the United States, the forces of all our partners Russia. Every day of this war is a reminder that the world cannot protect itself from madmen", he said.
While Ukrainian officials have closely collaborated with U.S. representatives in recent weeks on a peace agreement project that included post-war security guarantees, Russia has consistently refused to abandon its maximalist objectives.
Volodymyr Zelensky stated on January 4 that Ukraine is actively pursuing diplomatic actions but is prepared to continue the fight if the peace agreement fails and is developing plans for ongoing defense.