Zaluzhnyi: It's not enough to be ready to die – be ready to kill for Ukraine
The diplomat named two conditions necessary to attain the fighting spirit that he says is “embedded in the nation’s code.”
Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, spoke at the opening of the “Ukrainian School of Governance” about what Ukrainians must be prepared to do for their country.
According to him, those participating in the war face a choice that requires making “two important decisions.”
“The first decision is not to be afraid to die. That means being ready for self-sacrifice. This is an important decision everyone must make when agreeing to take up arms in defense,” Zaluzhnyi said. He then stressed, however, that “to die for Ukraine, for your people – that is not enough.”
“One must also make a second decision, which is equally difficult and just as important. And that second decision is that you must be ready to kill,” Zaluzhnyi stated. According to him, it is precisely this “readiness to kill for Ukraine, for its land, for its people, for one’s own family, that gives us the fighting spirit necessary for armed struggle.”
Zaluzhnyi insisted that this fighting spirit does not come from diet or weather conditions.
“No. It’s all thanks to our code. The code of our nation, embedded in us specifically through culture,” the diplomat asserted. He emphasized the need to ensure “that this genetic code chain is not broken, but continues to grow and is passed on to our children, grandchildren, and our nation.”
For context, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, also spoke at the opening of the “Ukrainian School of Governance,” affirming that Ukraine is an example of freedom for the entire world.
