Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised that the Russian army's losses would continue to become "bigger and bigger" on the 247th day of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Zelensky addressed his nation in a video on Thursday night to acknowledge the anniversary of Ukraine's liberation from Nazi Germany during World War II, which the country celebrates on October 28.
The Ukrainian president made parallels in the video between Nazi Germany and modern-day Russia, saying that the evil that "seemed to have been finally defeated and burned to the ground in 1945, is reborn from the ashes 80 years later."
Zelensky, however, said that the anniversary of Nazi liberation was a positive symbol for Ukraine, and added that "the result of [Ukraine's] struggle definitely becomes the liberation of our Ukraine.
"The second army of the world will become smaller and smaller," Zelensky said. "The losses of the enemy will become bigger and bigger. I am confident that enemy propaganda does not work, provocations do not work, threats do not scare. Any hard winter will not scare us as well."
Zelensky also acknowledged Russia's recent air strikes across Ukraine, saying "the enemy's rockets in our sky are less scarier than hearing the enemy's anthem on our land.
"We are not afraid of the dark," he added, in reference to the country's widespread blackouts as Russia targets its energy infrastructure.
Three Russian airstrikes were reported on Thursday, according to a Facebook post by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Ukrainian military also reported several rounds of artillery exchange along the frontlines of the war.
The post also said that the mobilized Russian personnel who they fought on Thursday "did not undergo appropriate training and lack practical skills in the use of basic types of weapons.
"This leads to significant losses of enemy manpower," they added.
The Kremlin has struggled to hold off Ukraine's advances into territory occupied by Russian troops, including in the country's eastern and southern regions. Troops regained regions of Kharkiv last month and are continuing to push further east, while Ukraine's military is consistently putting pressure on Russian troops near the eastern Donetsk region.
A report issued last week by the Institute for the Study of War detailed how Russian troops appear to be making a plan in southern Ukraine to justify an anticipated retreat in light of their recent territorial losses.
"We know that the darkest night comes before dawn," Zelensky said Thursday. "We know that all invaders flee our land in the same way. Gauleiters and self-appointed 'governors' end up the same."
Newsweek reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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