Category: Press Releases

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 15 October 2022.

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak had a video call with the new president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mirjana Spoljaric Egger.

Yermak congratulated her on the recent assumption of office and expressed hope that under her leadership the ICRC will successfully overcome complex humanitarian problems, in particular those caused by Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The head of the Office of the President said that today, the situation with violation of human rights in the occupied territories of Ukraine is one that Europe and the world have not seen for decades. This also applies to the treatment of captured Ukrainian troops and civilians in places of detention.

Yermak urged Egger to do everything possible to send the ICRC mission to the penal colony in Olenivka in the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk region, where at the end of July, more than 50 defenders of Ukraine were killed in a terrorist shelling by the Russian invaders. According to him, our state is ready to contribute to this mission in every possible way.

“Today is a critical moment. This war is a test for everyone: for Ukraine, for international organizations,” he said.

The head of the President’s Office is convinced that ICRC representatives should arrive at the contact line in the east of Ukraine on October 17. This would be a very important step.

Egger stressed the importance of ICRC staff having access to prisoners of war, particularly in Olenivka.

“This is my priority. And we will continue to facilitate access,” the ICRC president said.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 14 October 2022.

On the Day of Defenders of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited a military hospital.

The Head of State visited intensive care and trauma departments. Doctors told the President about the nature of the injuries suffered by the warriors, the course of treatment and recovery.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with the wounded warriors and presented them with state awards for courage and selflessness shown in the defense of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

“Thank you for your service. I wish you a speedy recovery. From all of us, I sincerely thank you for protecting the state,” said the President.

He also met with the medical staff of the military hospital and presented state awards for dedication and professionalism, providing medical aid and saving people’s lives under martial law.

“You are also defenders of Ukraine, because you save the lives of our warriors. All warriors say that our doctors are of the highest class. I thank you and your families for having you here,” the Head of State said.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 14 October 2022.

In the event of a real nuclear threat from Russia, the aggressor country will receive an appropriate response from the world, and the Russian authorities understand this. This was stated by Advisor to the Head of the President’s Office Mykhailo Podolyak in an interview with the German newspaper Bild.

“NATO monitors everything that happens in Russia with nuclear weapons. And NATO categorically warns Russia that if there is even an attempt to use nuclear weapons, there will be a response. Today, Russia is gradually reducing its rhetorical threats with nuclear weapons. There is a protocol according to which the nuclear powers act,” he said

Mykhailo Podolyak noted that the world is already doing a lot to prevent Russia from using nuclear weapons, in particular, relevant warning statements were made by U.S. President Joseph Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. UN Secretary-General António Guterres also called on Russia to immediately stop the rhetoric about nuclear threats.

The Advisor to the Head of the President’s Office noted that Russia invaded the territory of Ukraine with conventional weapons, and our troops counterattacked and pushed back the Russian army also with conventional weapons.

“Russia says: “If Ukraine does not allow us to keep the territories we invaded and cannot keep with conventional weapons, we will use nuclear weapons.” This is how a nuclear state threatens a non-nuclear state. If Russia is not stopped now, other countries will withdraw from the NPT (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons – ed.), because any war against a nuclear state will lead to losses. These countries will try to find components for nuclear weapons on the black market or elsewhere. Russia not only threatens Ukraine, it breaks a key element of global security,” the Advisor to the Head of the President’s Office said.

That is why, according to him, other countries react harshly to blackmail by a state possessing nuclear weapons.

“Everyone understands that they must give Russia a symmetrical response. Those who want to use nuclear weapons will get a response, and Russia seems to understand that,” Mykhailo Podolyak said.

The Advisor to the Head of the President’s Office expressed his belief that, despite the statements, the Russian Federation will still not use nuclear weapons, including tactical ones.

“Today we see a drastic decline in the nuclear threat in Russian rhetoric – if we ignore propagandists and talk about officials. We’re seeing a dramatic decline in the nuclear threat, and that’s a pretty good sign. Russia has admitted that it can wage war with conventional weapons, but any attempt to use nuclear weapons will lead to an immediate response,” he stated.

In addition to nuclear blackmail, Mykhailo Podolyak also mentioned the terrorist pressure that Russia exerts on European countries, particularly in the energy sector. The Russian Federation not only blows up its own gas pipelines, but also tries to damage the Ukrainian gas transmission system and delay the supply of gas volumes ordered by European countries.

As the Advisor to the Head of the President’s Office noted, the Russians believe that this will force Germany to receive gas through the Nord Stream 2 branch and endorse its operation.

To prevent the realization of this scenario, it is necessary to protect Ukrainian critical infrastructure from damage by Russian missiles. Therefore, there is a need to strengthen Ukrainian air defense and close the sky from Russian cruise missiles, Mykhailo Podolyak emphasized.

“Yes, we expect attacks, and Russia has publicly stated this. Their goal is to destroy civilian infrastructure, since they can’t do anything on the battlefield. We are aware of this and, together with our partners, develop programs for the protection of critical objects. Second, we developed a rapid system to repair damage and replenish energy in the event of leakage from one region to another. We will also advance our counteroffensive at the front. So Russia will have to focus its attention and efforts on the battlefield. We believe that the sooner we end this war, the less pressure and damage there will be to our infrastructure,” the Advisor to the Head of the President’s Office summarized.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 14 October 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held another meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief on Friday.

The participants listened to the reports of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the head of intelligence and the commanders of the troops of operational directions regarding the situation on the fronts and probable actions of the enemy in the near future.

The steps for the further liberation of Ukrainian territories were outlined.

The issue of logistical maintenance of the troops, in particular uninterrupted supply of ammunition and preparation for winter was also discussed.

In addition, further regulation of the activities of voluntary formations of territorial communities was discussed.

The meeting was attended by: Minister of Defense Oleksiy Reznikov, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhny, Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate Kyrylo Budanov, Commander of the Ground Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi and commanders of operational directions.

Head of the President’s Office Andriy Yermak, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov, Minister of Internal Affairs Denys Monastyrskyi, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov, heads of security and law enforcement agencies also joined the meeting of the Staff.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 13 October 2022.

Head of the President’s Office Andriy Yermak made a demand without alternatives to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): in the coming days, send a mission to the colony in Olenivka in the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk region, where Ukrainian prisoners of war are held and where at the end of July, as a result of terrorist shelling by the Russian occupiers, more than 50 defenders of Ukraine were killed.

He said this during a video call with representatives of the ICRC and other international organizations. The call was also attended by: Deputy Heads of the Office of the President Andriy Sybiha and Ihor Zhovkva, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba, Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense Kyrylo Budanov, Acting Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk, representatives of the Prosecutor General’s Office, commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada for human rights Dmytro Lubinets, head of the NGO “Civil Liberties Center” Oleksandra Matviychuk, people’s deputies and ambassadors of Ukraine’s partner states.

Andriy Yermak emphasized that the question of the conditions under which Ukrainian prisoners are held and what they face in places of detention in the Russian Federation and in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine is extremely important today.

“Today, in the center of Europe, unfortunately, terrible things are happening every minute and every hour, there are concentration camps again, and it is impossible to remain silent about this,” he said.

The Head of the President’s Office noted that he does not understand why the Red Cross mission has not yet arrived in Olenivka. He emphasized that there is no time to wait, as it is about human lives.

“Therefore, I call for the Red Cross mission with international media representatives to arrive in Ukraine no later than in three days, even if you do not receive confirmation from Russia by this time. And we are sure that Russia is not interested in the truth being known. We call to send a mission that will be on the frontline until Russia issues these permits,” he said.

Andriy Yermak urged to resolve this issue and send the ICRC mission by October 17. The Head of the President’s Office assured that Ukraine will facilitate this mission in every possible way.

“We are ready to join it. Our people’s deputies are ready to go there. Our esteemed partners – representatives of the countries that are with us today, I am sure, are also ready to help so that the leading channels and other mass media arrive. As it happens, for example, when the IAEA mission arrives,” Andriy Yermak said.

The Head of the President’s Office stated that otherwise Ukraine will use all possible information and diplomatic means to move this issue from stalemate.

According to him, the Ukrainian state, together with its partners, will find a way to form an expert group and find people who will be willing to carry out the mission that the Red Cross has to carry out.

“But we won’t wait any longer. Every hour, every day is the life of our people. And today  war is a test for every person, in particular a test for international organizations. If there is a desire, there is always a way to realize it,” summed up Andriy Yermak.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 13 October 2022.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 13 October 2022.

In order to protect citizens from Russian attacks from the air, Ukraine needs modern air defense systems, because the currently available means are not enough, as we could see a few days ago. The Head of State noted this while answering questions at the plenary autumn session of the PACE.

The President noted that today there are several powerful countries in the world – manufacturers of anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense systems, including Germany. He thanked for the fact that the first IRIS-T air defense system came from Germany.

“Yes, it will not cover our sky completely, it will not protect us from those 130 strikes that happened two days ago and continue these days. This will not protect us completely, but it is already opening up the possibility that in the future Germany will be able to provide us with more help and other countries – manufacturers of anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense systems will be able to help us close the sky over the heads of peaceful Ukrainians,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy is convinced.

The Head of State reminded that the USA confirmed the provision of NASAMS systems to Ukraine. According to him, our country also expects powerful steps in this direction from France and Italy.