Ukraine has been continuing its defense against the Russian invasion for 25 days, withholding the enemy in the main directions, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said.

"The enemy no longer dreams of capturing Kyiv, choked in Chernihiv and Sumy regions, receives painful blows near Kharkiv, in Mykolaiv, Kherson and Luhansk regions. The heroic defenders of Mariupol played a big role in destroying enemy's plans, and our defense becomes more active. "Thanks to their dedication and superhuman courage, tens of thousands of lives have been saved throughout Ukraine. Today, Mariupol is saving Kyiv, Dnipro, and Odesa. Everyone should understand this," Reznikov wrote on Facebook on Monday.

"Residents of Kherson, Energodar and other cities, who are protesting without weapons against the Russian invaders, demonstrate that the will of the Ukrainian people is invincible. And it's better for the enemy to get out," he said.

Since the beginning of invasion, the Ukrainian armed forces have destroyed a number of Russian tank, air assault, engineering and other units considered "elite", along with their leaders. In addition, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukrainian military personnel have shot down almost 100 planes and 120 helicopters, destroyed almost 500 tanks and 1,500 Russian armored fighting vehicles.

"The struggle of Ukrainians for their land makes the world finally realize those things that we have been talking about for many months. Even the UN Secretary General has already admitted that a Russian attack on Ukraine could lead to a global food crisis. Which, in turn, will lead to another migration crisis for Europe. Everyone who now holds the defense wins precious time, allowing us to strengthen Ukraine," the minister said.

He recalled that the Ukrainian side agreed not to publish information about the supply of weapons, but in recent days, the team of the Ministry of Defense delivered and transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine 51,000 bulletproof vests of protection class 4 according to NATO standards, purchased mainly from the state budget. The following deliveries are also being prepared.

"There are no illusions. There are still many challenges ahead. Ukraine is conducting a strategic defense operation against a much more numerous enemy and under the threat of a ground invasion by Belarusian troops. We are suffering losses. The enemy is destroying our cities and undermining the economy. The situation is very difficult. But as long as our army is preserved, which is being strengthened by the reserve, we will fight. And we will win!" Reznikov said.

"The war has changed the sense of time and many familiar things. But on Monday, the working week traditionally began. And this 'tradition' now also needs to be cherished, like the army. The government is doing everything possible to save the economy. This is the basis of our defense. Today, everyonee who goes to work, gives work to others, fills the treasury - work for defense of Ukraine. We will defeat the enemy through unity and better organization. Everyone's contribution is important," the minister said.

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