Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a former comedian, gave a rather long and unusual New Year address to Ukrainians this year. The message focused on patriotism and unity and spent considerable time to list a wide range of Ukrainian cities and towns. The message also cut to others speaking and to dramatized scenes ranging from mothers in labor to soldiers celebrating the New Year on the front lines. Multiple mentions were given to prisoners of war returning home – referring to recent prisoner swaps negotiated by the Zelensky administration and which has been perhaps the most popular success of his young presidency.
The full address in Ukrainian is available below, with computer-generated English-language subtitles. The subtitles are not perfect, but do give an accurate sense of the message delivered. If they do not appear for you immediately, click the settings option and set the language to English.
