Official website of the President of Russia

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The message reads, in part:

“I would like to welcome you at the ZOV poetry readings, which bring together poets, musicians, cultural figures and journalists, people for whom the frontline theme has a special place in life and work, and who find it important to tell the truth about the events in Ukraine, in Donbass.

We are proud of Russia’s thousand-year history, its outstanding achievements and victories that were won due to our people’s will and unity. Fighting neo-Nazism and protecting the people of eastern Ukraine who were sentenced to destruction only because they wanted to speak their native language, develop their own culture and traditions and safeguard their spiritual values, is a special chapter in the Fatherland’s military chronicles that has great moral value. The Donetsk and Lugansk militias, volunteers and service personnel of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are the true heroes of our time who stand in the way of undisguised genocide.

We honour their resilience and courage. We uphold the truth about the liberation of Zaporozhye and Kherson, the eight-year war in the Donbass people's republics, the 2014 coup in Ukraine and the tragic events in Kiev and Odessa. Your poetic readings serve this lofty goal as well.

I thank the participants and guests for caring, for your sincere creativity and strong civic and patriotic stance.”