Zelensky changed his mind. Now he is sure of the coming “invasion”

President Zelensky orders country to fly flags and wear blue-and-yellow ribbons for Unity Day on February 16

krainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has declared February 16 – when the US claimed Russia might “invade” Ukraine – a day of national unity. In a decree signed on Monday, he ordered the playing of the national anthem and display of flags and flag ribbons around the country.

“It is said that February 16 will be the day of the attack. We will make it a day of unity,”Zelensky said on Monday evening in an address to Ukrainians. “On this day, we will fly our national flags, put on blue-and-yellow ribbons and show our unity to the entire world.”

Zelensky’s comments about the date of the “invasion” – quoted by some US outlets at face value – reportedly triggered a sell-off on the US stock market and a rush on gold and crude oil, prompting the president’s office to clarify that he had said it “with irony.”

By the time of the speech, Zelensky had already signed presidential decree 53/2022 on “urgent measures to consolidate Ukrainian society and strengthen its resilience in the face of growing hybrid threats.”

In the decree, he declared February 16, 2022 the Day of Unity of Ukrainians, ordering all homes and buildings to fly the Ukrainian flag and perform the national anthem at 10am. He urged citizens to wear a ribbon in the colors of the flag as well.

Read also:
Is There Any Point to a Trump-Putin Meeting for Now?

Zelensky vowed that Kiev will “return” both Crimea and the Donbass into Ukraine eventually, but exclusively through diplomacy and negotiations. Crimea voted to return to Russia in 2014, following a US-backed coup in Kiev that overthrew Ukraine’s elected government. The Donetsk and Lugansk regions in the east of the country also declared independence and beat back attempts by Ukraine to retake them by force.

In addition to the symbolic displays of national unity, Zelensky’s decree also announced the establishment of a state information platform, UArazom (“Ukraine Together”), to “ensure the public is informed daily about the real state of the security situation, measures taken to strengthen the state’s defense capabilities, as well as the organization of appropriate outreach work on public safety.”

The president also said on Monday that members of the military would get a 30% pay raise in March, with a 20% raise for the border service and the National Guard.

Published at www.rt.com

We remind our readers that publication of articles on our site does not mean that we agree with what is written. Our policy is to publish anything which we consider of interest, so as to assist our readers  in forming their opinions. Sometimes we even publish articles with which we totally disagree, since we believe it is important for our readers to be informed on as wide a spectrum of views as possible.