Zelenskyi addresses Ukrainians who fought in Afghanistan and compares it with Donbas

On this day, 32 years ago, the Afghan war ended, sending more than 165,000 Ukrainians home. These soldiers made up almost a quarter of the total contingent. More than 3,000 Ukrainian Afghans never returned from that war. It will constantly remind almost ten thousand more soldiers of combat injuries.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyi addressed Ukrainians, who fought in Afghanistan.

He thanked each Afghan veteran for his resilience and experience, as it helped defend Ukraine in the war in Donbas.

"Ukrainians who fought in Afghanistan hoped that this war would be the last in their lives. But with the start of the war in Donbas, many of them went to the forefront again. Others help with the rehabilitation of anti-terrorist operation/joint forces operation veterans. These are courageous people who value each other and life. What this generation of Ukrainians had to go through deserves unconditional respect. And we're truly grateful for the contribution they have made to the formation of our defense over the past seven years," President said.