On the eve of the fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion and National Day of Prayer, an online dialogue was held between the youth of Donetsk region and Vakhtang Kipiani, a well-known Ukrainian journalist, publicist, writer, and historian who is currently defending Ukraine in the ranks of the 2nd Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine "Charter."
The event, organized on the initiative of the Center for Unity and National Resistance platform in conjunction with the regional administration's department for family, youth, and mass events of national-patriotic education, brought young people together around the themes of national resistance, memory, and the challenges facing the current generation.
During his speech, Vakhtang Kipiani revealed the underlying causes of aggression, emphasizing that Russians fundamentally do not recognize our separateness. For the enemy, we are only part of their imperial space, and the goal of the occupation is not only to seize territories but also to create "providers of the Russian world" on our lands. He noted that Russian myths have been systematically instilled in the minds of Ukrainians for decades, destroying our identity.
As an example of such destructive processes not only for Ukrainians, the historian cited the situation with the Erzya language (a Finno-Ugric language, one of the two Mordovian languages, along with Moksha, spoken by the Erzya people — the indigenous people of the Volga region), where, due to colonial pressure, even teachers lost the ability to communicate fluently in their native language.
In the context of the current war, Vakhtang Kipiani emphasized media literacy as an extremely important issue. He stressed that neglecting security in the information space is now unacceptable, because people who do not check their sources of information become easy targets for manipulation.
Addressing young people, the guest called for decisive action and learning about their own country. In his opinion, traveling around Ukraine and learning about its diversity is the best way to strengthen internal ties. "Everything you plan to do for the country must be done now — there is no time to delay," the defender concluded, urging everyone to become active creators of the future today.
"Today, we have once again confirmed that our identity and knowledge of our history are the foundation of our resistance. As long as we remember who we are and as long as we are ready to act, Ukraine is unbreakable," the organizers concluded.
The young people were also reminded that February 24 is National Day of Prayer. It is a day when the whole country unites in shared memory and prayer for the heroes who fought and continue to fight for Ukraine's freedom.