Good evening, dear ladies and gentlemen,

This year we mark the Day of Defender of Ukraine here in Budapest for the first time.

The Day of Defender is a symbolic day, connecting past and present of Ukraine, reminding us about Kozaks, who defended our country centuries ago and fought for its independence, and reminding us about our current fight against Russian aggression.

That is why I would like to start our event with minute of silence to honor the memory of all our defenders, who sacrificed their lives for our country.

I also would like to express my gratitude to those who fought and continue fighting now to restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity and bring back peace to our soil.

At our event we have two Ukrainian military men, who are now here in Hungary to receive medical care in the Military Hospital. One more is in the hospital now as he can’t walk.

I would like to thank them for defending us and to ask you to welcome them.  

I also would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Hungarian Side – to the Minister of Defense who personally supported increasing of the quota of Ukrainian wounded soldiers coming here, to Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and specially to the Chief of Hospital present here for supporting our soldiers and for supporting us in our fight against Russian aggression to restore territorial integrity and peace.

Our today’s event we will start with film ‘Call sign Banderas’, which will make you understand better

-         what is Ukraine going through,

-         how the Russian hybrid war works in practice,

• when Russians with lie make Ukrainian ordinary people killing their own relatives,  
• when enemy is hiding himself under the mask of the sincere patriot,
• when professional Russian military men and representatives of special services mask themselves as local rebels,
• when local people until the very last moment believe in Russian propaganda and Russian world becoming victims of this Russian world, dying from Russian bullets,
• and when shelling of our peaceful villages is organized by Russia in such a manner that Russian TV groups receive the best places to film them and promptly stream it blaming Ukraine for this crime.

This is a movie, not documentary, but probably because of this it shows reality in some moments even more concentrated than the documentary could do it.

After the film you will have possibility to see photo exhibition “Unknown war in the Center of Europe” showing real scenes of the war with the real wounded and real death.

This exhibition is a part of photos made by Ukrainian photojournalist Olexandr Klymenko, to whom I would like to express my special thanks for giving possibility to have this exhibition here in Budapest.

I hope this film and this exhibition will remain in your minds and your hearts and will prevent from thoughts to have business as usual with Russia unless it stops its aggression against Ukraine. Please don’t forget about those 14 000 Ukrainians who already lost their lives, about occupied Crimea and occupied part of Donbass.

We will continue defending our country and Europe.

And I hope you will continue staying with us.  

Thank you for coming and thank you for support.