Language preserves what the enemy is trying to destroy: our history, culture, memory, and the bond between generations.
Dear fellow Ukrainians, I congratulate you on Ukrainian Writing and Language Day!
We know full well why the Russian occupiers are trying to eradicate the Ukrainian language from the cities and villages they have seized. They are destroying Ukrainian books, persecuting those who speak their native language, and want future generations to forget who they are and where they come from.
But the Ukrainian language has survived centuries of bans and persecution. It will survive this war as well.
Today, millions of our people live far from their homes. Yet the Ukrainian language helps them stay connected to their homeland and pass on a love for their native land to their children.
So let’s cherish and nurture our language, speak it, read Ukrainian books, and discover the richness of our native tongue.
Happy holiday! May the Ukrainian language ring out freely in every corner of our country!