He asked the public to support the national armed forces, including by taking arms and preparing for a fight and promised to lift personal sanctions, which he had imposed previously, from anyone willing to defend Ukraine.
Zelensky said the Russian attack against Ukraine was similar to a Nazi invasion. He asked Russian citizens to protest against their government decision to launch it.
Earlier on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he had authorized a “special military operation” in Ukraine. He said the goal of the action was to “demilitarize” and “de-Nazify” Russia’s neighbor, claiming that it was the best option to protect the breakaway Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics and Russia.
The tensions around Ukraine have been escalating over the past few days.