TRANSCRIPT
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed fellow citizens on the eve of Christmas, which Ukraine officially celebrates for the first time on the 25th of December.
Ukraine previously celebrated Christmas according to the Russian Orthodox Church which observes the birth of Jesus on the 7th of January.
To mark Christmas Eve on the 24th of December, Mr Zelenskyy addressed the nation.
“Christmas Eve is the time of the longest nights of the year. But tomorrow the day starts getting longer, the light starts prevailing. The light is getting stronger. And step by step, day by day, the darkness retreats. And in the end, darkness will lose. Evil will be defeated. Today, this is our common goal, our common dream, and this is what our common prayer is for today. For our freedom. For our victory. For our Ukraine. For the day when we can all come together at home in a peaceful year of peaceful Christmas. And say to each other: 'Christ is born.'“
In July Mr Zelenskyy signed legislation moving the public Christmas Day holiday to the 25th of December.
A note attached to the law says its goal was to “abandon Russian heritage” and cited “the desire of all Ukrainians to live their lives with their own traditions and holidays.
Meanwhile, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu claims that Russian troops had captured the town of Marinka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk province.
“During active offensive operations, today the assault division of the Yuzhnaya group of troops completely liberated the settlement of Marinka, five kilometers southwest of Donetsk. Over nine years, the Ukrainian Armed Forces built a powerful fortified area there, which included underground passages, each street had its own fortified structures well protected from artillery and aviation attacks.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his appreciation.
“Sergei Kuzhugetovich, first of all, I want to congratulate you, this is a success. This is the first. Second and most importantly, convey my warmest congratulations and words of gratitude to all personnel, all military personnel who took part at different times, at different stages in the battles for the liberation of Marinka.”
This comes as Ukrainian officials say Russian attacks on the Kherson region have killed five civilians, while Russian-installed officials in the eastern town of Horlivka say one person was killed as a result of Kyiv's shelling.
Meanwhile, an associate of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny says he has been found located at a prison colony above the Arctic Circle nearly three weeks after contact with him was lost.
Kira Yarmysh is Mr Navalny's spokesperson.
“We were looking for Alexei during all these three weeks by different means, had checked almost all detention facilities and prisons of special regime, some a few times. And finally today, we have found him in the penal colony № 3 in the Kharp settlement. It is the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, above the Arctic Circle. A lawyer has seen Alexei, but it was hard for the lawyer to get in, they didn't want to let him in. Still he managed to get in, see Alexei. Alexei is fine, at least as fine as possible after so long transferring.”
Mr Navalny, the most prominent foe of President Putin, is serving a 19-year sentence on charges of extremism.
He has rejected all charges against him as politically motivated.
He had been imprisoned in the Vladimir region of central Russia, about 230 kilometres east of Moscow, but his lawyers said they had not been able to reach him since the 6th of December.
