ZELENSKY: “WOULD I FORGIVE PUTIN ON THE LAST DAY OF MY LIFE? NO” President Volodymyr Zelensky says he could never forgive Vladimir Putin for the destruction Russia has inflicted upon Ukraine, insisting that reconciliation cannot replace justice or accountability. Ukraine did not begin this war. Its cities were invaded, its civilians were murdered and displaced, […]

ZELENSKY: “WOULD I FORGIVE PUTIN ON THE LAST DAY OF MY LIFE? NO”

President Volodymyr Zelensky says he could never forgive Vladimir Putin for the destruction Russia has inflicted upon Ukraine, insisting that reconciliation cannot replace justice or accountability.

Ukraine did not begin this war. Its cities were invaded, its civilians were murdered and displaced, and its children were taken into Russia. Forgiveness cannot be demanded from the victim while the aggressor refuses to acknowledge the crime.

Zelensky also warned that many Russians still do not understand—or refuse to accept—that Russia is the aggressor. That denial reaches deep into the Kremlin’s military system, where commanders are rewarded for reporting victories rather than presenting the truth.

Analysts have identified at least 35 videos published by Russian military units and propagandists that appear to have been created or altered using artificial intelligence. The footage supposedly shows Russian soldiers raising flags inside Ukrainian settlements that were never captured. In several examples, soldiers disappear, flags suddenly move and figures appear with impossible proportions.

These fabricated victories are not only propaganda for the Russian public. Inflated battlefield reports can move upward through the command structure until Putin receives a fictional picture of Russian progress. Orders are then issued based on towns supposedly captured, positions supposedly secured and Ukrainian defenses supposedly broken—sending more Russian soldiers into battles built upon lies.

Russia is now attempting to negotiate while parts of its leadership appear unable—or unwilling—to accept battlefield reality. Accountability must therefore include more than the man who ordered the invasion. It must reach the commanders who carried out criminal orders, concealed losses and continued feeding soldiers into a war sustained by deception.

Peace may eventually stop the shooting, but it cannot erase what happened. Forgiveness belongs to Ukraine and its victims alone. Justice is not theirs to surrender.