"Even though we did not choose the war, we took the fight": Valerii Zaluzhnyi's quotes that "sobered" the world and inspired Ukrainians

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhny, whose dismissal was announced on February 8, had been speaking honestly and frankly about the course of the war and answering journalists' pointed questions for two years. His comments rarely resembled a "warm bath." The general was able to "sober up" the world, which was expecting a lightning-fast and easy victory over the occupiers, and regularly reminded Ukrainians that every piece of free land was given to the Armed Forces by superhuman efforts.

Thanks to these responses, people even far from the front line remembered that the bloody and brutal war with the Russians was still ongoing. OBOZ.UA decided to collect the most memorable quotes from the former commander-in-chief, who was admired both in Ukraine and abroad.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi was outraged when the lives of Ukrainian soldiers were devalued and their risks were forgotten.

"What is happening and what we are holding on to are Ukrainian people. These are Ukrainian soldiers, sergeants, Ukrainian officers who die and get injured every day but hold their positions," the general said.

He was not afraid to tell the truth that Ukraine is losing its best sons and daughters in the fight for independence, and the words "heroes do not die" are not entirely correct.

"Unfortunately, heroes do die. They gain eternal life and eternal glory, remain our spiritual guide and example for future generations of Ukrainians," the former chief explained.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, who values every life, was indignant when people expected results from the Ukrainian Armed Forces, forgetting how they are given to the heroes.

"It's annoying when they say that the counteroffensive started slower than expected. This is not a show that the whole world is watching or something to bet on. Every day and every meter is paid for with blood," Valerii said about his expectations of the counteroffensive.

Speaking on behalf of the Ukrainian soldiers, he assured that victory will be won on the battlefield, not at the negotiating table with terrorists.

"We will fight as long as we have the strength. Our goal is to liberate all Ukrainian land from Russian occupation. The Ukrainian Armed Forces will not accept any negotiations until Russia leaves the occupied territories," the general assured.

He did not reassure the people that war is easy. However, Zaluzhnyi believes that there can be no shame in fighting.

"No matter how hard it is, we will definitely not be ashamed," the former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces said.

Intimidation by Russia and warnings from the world did not impress the "Iron" general, and he sincerely did not understand why this should affect the struggle of Ukrainians.

"This does not stop me at all. We are doing our job. For some reason, all these signals are coming from outside. They say we should be afraid of a nuclear strike. So should we give up today?" Zaluzhnyi asked a rhetorical question.

Despite all his bluntness, the general never questioned Ukraine's victory.

"We did not choose the war. We accepted the battle. And God himself is on our side. We have enough strength to defeat the enemy," he assured.

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