The fragment of the greeting that is being shared online was created specifically for a foreign audience. The president congratulated Ukrainians in state language.
«That is how junta treats people», «Russian speakers don’t need to know what’s there», «and this is not a joke» — this is how pro-Russian sources comment on the news that Volodymyr Zelensky allegedly congratulated Ukrainians on Easter only in English.
However, the claims of propagandists are completely groundless, because in reality on Easter Volodymyr Zelensky addressed Ukrainians in Ukrainian. In his speech, the president mentioned the Russian strikes on Sumy, Kryvyi Rih, Kharkiv, Odesa, and recalled the values that, even in the face of daily tragedies, unite Ukrainians and give hope that sooner or later evil will be defeated. The official channel of the President’s Office also dubbed the speech in sign language.
The English-language video, an excerpt from which is being distributed by propagandists, is clearly intended for a foreign audience. In it, the president talks about the importance of Easter for Ukrainians and how this holiday is being overshadowed by Russian aggression — destroying churches, killing and holding clergy captive. In the video, Zelensky also thanks everyone who supports Ukraine on its path to victory. The English sound of the video is accompanied by Ukrainian subtitles.
There is nothing strange or discriminatory about the fact that the president did not record his greeting in Russian. In January this year, Volodymyr Zelensky gave an interview to American podcaster Lex Friedman and refused to speak Russian because he «does not respect either the Russians or the dictator Vladimir Putin». Zelensky recalled that at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he had already addressed the Russians in Russian, but his words were not heard. And given that the Russians began the occupation under the pretense of allegedly «protecting Russian-speaking population», speaking Ukrainian in public is a matter of principle for the president, Zelensky noted.
Read another refutation on the topic of religion in the article Fake: Ministry of Culture To Check The Nationality of Saints, Whose Relics Are in the Lavra.
