Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed his country as a "hero for the whole free world" as he marked 50 days of the Russian invasion.
In his nightly address, he praised his fellow Ukrainians for their bravery, saying: "For those who have the courage to call a spade a spade. For those who are not poisoned by propaganda. You have all become heroes. All Ukrainian men and women who withstood and do not give up. And who will win. Who will return peace to Ukraine."
But Zelensky noted the conflict with Russia has been ongoing for much longer than 50 days. He said: "Russia did not start the war against Ukraine on February 24. Russian troops came to us in 2014. They captured our Crimea. They turned it into a large military base. They made the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov one of the most dangerous seas on the planet. They started a terrible, absolutely cynical war in our Donbas. They have been killing our people for 8 years. 14 thousand were killed during this time!"
