A Ukrainian soldier is seen in a recent video sharing a heartfelt message from the battlefield to mothers of troops fighting the Russians, saying "we will all come back" home.
The unnamed soldier made the comments in a video message posted by Ukraine's Ministry of Defense on Twitter on Tuesday morning.
"Mom hello! I ate, dressed warmly, put on a hat and I am going for a walk. No need to worry. My friends are with me. We will behave well," the soldier said in the video, set against snow-covered countryside.
"In fact, this message is not only for my mother, but for all our mothers who love us, wait for us and worry about us. I know you didn't raise us for war, but you raised us to be real men," he added.
"And when trouble came to our country, we went to protect the most precious things we have. Wait for us, we will definitely all come back, and you can once again quarrel with us at home, tell us what we are doing wrong and cook something delicious for us."
He then said: "See you, at home," while blowing a kiss.
А soldier’s message. pic.twitter.com/b9P0fxnBCb
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) November 29, 2022
Newsweek has contacted the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry for an update.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine, citing NATO's eastwards expansion and "de-nazifying" Ukraine as his reasons.
Since the invasion began, thousands of people have died and millions more have been displaced. The fighting has affected most cities in Ukraine, but it has largely remained concentrated in the east and the south of the country, close to the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014.
After a series of setbacks on the battlefield, Russia has resorted to targeting Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure, much of which has been destroyed by missile strikes, leaving millions of Ukrainians in sub-zero temperatures this winter.
The U.S. is expected to announce a "substantial" military aid package to Ukraine on Tuesday to help Ukraine withstand the attacks on its energy infrastructure. NATO foreign ministers are due to meet in the Romanian capital Bucharest on Tuesday and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to announce the package on the sidelines of the summit.
Russia may be looking to mobilize men in the southern region of Kherson, the Center of National Resistance, part of Ukraine's Special Operations Forces, said on its website on Monday.
Ukrainian military officials claimed on Monday that one Russian unit in the eastern region of Luhansk lost up to 70 percent of its personnel last week.
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Jack Dutton is a Newsweek Reporter based in Cape Town, South Africa. His focus is reporting on global politics and ... Read more
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