Author's Preface: Changing the Past
Preface We are here

Part 1 Our Values

1 Now we are all presidents
2 Other people's war
3 The Opposite of Love
4 We do not kneel

Part 2 Our Fight

5 Lessons from History
6 Do the Russian people want war?
7 We are Ukraine
8 War with Europe

Part 3 Our Voice

9 Ukraine Didn't Want Greatness
But Ukraine has become a great country
10 Leaders of Peace
11 Tear down this wall
12 Indifference kills people

Part 4 Our Country

13.
How can this happen?
14.
God, save Ukraine
15.
Never again, ever
16.
free people

Part 5 Our People

17 Crisis of Values
18 Ukrainian people are Ukrainians
19 We have already won

Translator's Note: The allure of Zelensky's speech

“We are not heroes.

“We do what we have to do, in our place.”
A Look at Ukraine, Turned Around by a 'Political Novice' President

On February 24, 2022, Russia, the world's second-largest military power, invaded Ukraine.
Although most were convinced that Ukraine, a relatively weak nation, would be defeated, the Ukrainian army tenaciously defended the capital and held firm on its soil despite nearly a year of sustained attacks.
In the process, Zelensky, who was once ridiculed as a “comedian who became president,” was evaluated as “Chaplin who became Churchill,” and quickly emerged as an icon of resistance.
Contrary to expectations that he would immediately flee abroad, he remained in the capital city of Kyiv, where Russian tanks had entered, and stayed by his people's side.
His response to the US offer to help him seek asylum set social media ablaze.
“What I need is not a vehicle, but ammunition.”

He stayed on the battlefield and did what he did best.
During the 200 days following the Russian invasion, he made a total of 81 speeches to the outside world and many more to his own people.
He depicted the horrors of the most horrific conflict in Europe since World War II and poetically evoked its essential meaning.
We boldly requested military supplies and peaceful support from each country's government.
His 'speech diplomacy' was successful.
Citizens in Berlin, Paris, and London staged massive demonstrations in support of Ukraine, forcing their governments to provide aid on a scale no one had anticipated.
In particular, a 32-second video shot in front of the government building just 38 hours after Russia invaded changed the course of the war, regardless of military inferiority.
He did not run away, but showed the world his will to fight to the death.


“Hello, citizens.
We are all here.
Our soldiers are here.
Civil society is here.
We will defend our independence.
“We will remain an independent nation, just as we are now.” (p. 17)

This short and powerful speech not only rallied the Ukrainian people under the flag, but also began to paint cities around the world blue and yellow (the colors of the Ukrainian flag).
Time magazine named President Zelenskyy and the "Ukrainian spirit" its 2022 Person of the Year.


"Zelensky's speech is mightier than Putin's gun."
"The Gettysburg Address of Our Time" "A Masterpiece to Be Read for Decades"
A speech that revived Churchill in Britain and Lincoln in the United States.

Zelensky's speech was more powerful than Putin's gun.
His message of support and assistance, which he conveyed to the world through video calls and social media, captured the hearts of citizens around the world.
Instead of talking about helping 'poor' Ukraine, people started 'paying tribute' to the courage of Ukrainians.
He doesn't beg for support, he asks for it proudly.
It emphasizes that Ukraine is at the forefront of protecting the values ​​that the world has been trying to preserve through the two world wars of the last century.


“With or without the support of our allies, we will defend our territory.
Of course, we would be grateful for any support.
But everyone should know this.
Ukraine is not asking for charity.
I am not saying that I will bow my head in gratitude for your kind gesture.
Because your support is for the security of Europe and the world.” (p. 77)

“The peace of your country depends on your courage.
It depends on whether we are prepared to fight for the lives of citizens around the world, for human rights and peace, for the right to live with dignity and die in accordance with the natural order.
Today, the Ukrainian people are not only defending Ukraine.
“We are fighting, sacrificing our lives, in the name of a better future, to defend the values ​​of Europe and the world.” (p. 111)

Meanwhile, the reason his speech is evaluated as 'the Gettysburg Address of our time' and 'a famous speech that will be read for decades' is because it arouses shock and empathy by talking about the current war through cultural background and historical events that the audience of the relevant country can immediately understand.
For example, in the British Parliament, Zelenskyy quotes Churchill's June 4, 1940 speech in the House of Commons: "We shall fight on the beaches."
This speech, which encouraged Britain's determination to never back down, came at a time when anxiety was growing over a German landing on the British Isles after France fell to Nazi Germany.
Any British person listening to this speech cannot help but feel their heart warm.


“We will fight to the end.
We will fight on the seas and oceans.
…I dare to add here:
We will fight on the rubble of the coal mine.
We will fight on the banks of the Kalmius and Dnieper rivers.
“We will defend our land at any cost.” (p. 105)

In his speech to the German parliament, he mentioned the Berlin Wall and incited the Germans' sense of historical justice.


“It feels like you're behind another barrier.
Not the Berlin Wall, but the wall that stands in the middle of Europe, the wall that separates freedom from submission.
Every time a bomb is dropped on our land, every time decisions are made in the name of anything other than peace, that wall becomes stronger.
…President Ronald Reagan said in Berlin:
“Tear down this wall!” I want to say the same thing to you.
Chancellor Scholz, tear down this wall! The German people deserve a leader.
Give them leadership.
“Your descendants will be proud.” (pp. 113, 120)

He names the countries that fell victim to Nazism and emphasizes what the spirit of Ukraine preserves and why it deserves support.


“Dear Ukrainian people, today we pay tribute to all those who defended our homeland and the world from Nazism.
We remember the feat and contribution of the Ukrainian people who won against Hitler.
They experienced explosions and gunfire, trenches, wounds, famine, bombings, blockades, mass executions, reprisals, occupation, concentration camps, gas chambers, Stars of David, ghettos, incarceration, and forced labor.
And he gave his life to ensure that we would only learn what these words meant from history books, without having to experience them firsthand.
But what they went through is happening again.
It is an insult to them all.
But let's remember this:
Truth prevails.
And we will get through it all.” (p. 159)

The sincerity felt in his confidence in making demands while politely yet sternly pointing out the mistakes and miscalculations of the great powers is also a strength of Zelensky's speech.
He stands at the UN podium and speaks.


“Let us ask ourselves:
If this place becomes nothing more than a stage for political theater for some, what good will our gathering here do for humanity? If this place becomes nothing more than a place to announce good intentions, and those good intentions are then countered by bad actions.
We are not here on this stage to act out a scene from a play.
The 7.5 billion people on Earth are not just spectators, they are active participants.
“The fundamental things that make up their lives are decided here.”

He started speaking in Russian during one of his speeches and said:
He then goes on to detail the horrific massacres of civilians committed by the Russian military.
In the hearts of all mothers around the world who hear this speech, Russia's national image has been irreparably tarnished.


“I ask the mothers of Russia:
You may have raised your children to be predators, but how could they become butchers? You couldn't have been unaware of what was lurking in their hearts.
“You couldn’t have failed to notice that you were becoming a soulless, heartless human being who deliberately kills people for pleasure.” (p. 133)

The book's preface and translator's note provide a comprehensive analysis of the power and appeal of Zelensky's speeches.
Arkady Ostrovsky, a journalist for The Economist who has interviewed Zelensky twice, provides a foreword detailing the difficult-to-explain war context of each speech.
In his postscript, Park Sang-hyun, who co-translated this book, draws attention to the sophisticated rhetoric of Zelensky's speeches that captivated the hearts of people around the world.


“He knows full well that the West is paying a lot of money to help Ukraine, but it is relatively cheap to solve the thorny problem of Russia, and it doesn’t cost anything because it doesn’t require the sacrifice of its own people.
But at the same time, in a democratic country, we understand that the prime minister and the president cannot make decisions alone without gaining consensus from the parliament and the people, so we create very sophisticated messages to help them make decisions.
This is why many of Zelensky's speeches are directed directly at the parliaments and peoples of other countries.” (From the translator's note)

“Please read our lives and history over the past three years.”
A story of people who bravely stand up to protect their daily lives.
★Exclusively included in the Korean edition★ Full text of the US Congressional speech that attracted massive support

"Messages from Ukraine" contains 19 carefully selected speeches delivered to the public and the world over the past three years, from when Zelensky took office in 2019 to his current transformation into a wartime leader.
The Korean edition includes three additional speeches in addition to the 16 speeches by Zelenskyy included in the original edition published by Penguin Random House in the UK.
The UK Waterstones special edition includes the full text of President Zelensky's speech to the OECD General Assembly in Paris in June 2022 and the speech by Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska at the Yalta Conference in Kyiv in September 2022, both of which are included in Part 5 of the book.
In addition, there is a speech that is included exclusively in the Korean version, which is the only one among all the editions worldwide.
"19.
"We have already won" is a speech that became a global sensation when President Zelenskyy visited the United States for the first time after leaving the battlefield on December 21, 2022. The full text has been included exclusively in the Korean edition with the author's permission.


“In two days, Ukraine will celebrate Christmas.
Maybe we'll do it with candles lit.
That's probably because there's no electricity.
But we don't complain.
We don't judge or compare who has an easier life.
The richness of American life is the fruit of our national security, the result of our struggle for independence, and our countless victories.
We Ukrainians will also fight for our independence and freedom.
We will fight with dignity and win.
… I recall the words of President Roosevelt here today.
Such an apt phrase for this moment.
“The American people will achieve an overwhelming victory with their righteous power.” The Ukrainian people will also achieve an overwhelming victory.
We know that everything depends on us, on the Ukrainian army.
But it also depends on the international community.
“So much in the world depends on you.” (pp. 196-9)

This speech not only received a standing ovation from the U.S. Congress, but was also cited as one of Zelensky's most famous quotes by major foreign media outlets around the world.
The United States announced on this day an additional military aid of approximately $1.85 billion (approximately 2.38 trillion won), including the Patriot system.
Message from Ukraine is President Zelensky's only official book, and he personally selected the speeches and wrote the preface.
To help readers around the world understand Ukraine's history, the values ​​it upholds, and the horrors of war.
Support for Ukraine should not be consumed as a passing fad or an online meme; knowing their history reminds us that this war is not unrelated to the history of the world, and indeed, to our future.
To remain true to the author's intentions, the book includes numerous footnotes that attempt to provide a detailed historical context for the sentences in the speech.


"What kind of people are Ukrainians? You will find the answer in this book.
Please allow me to guide us, our aspirations, our principles and values.
Please read our life and history over the past three years.
“Please help us end this war.” (From the author’s preface)

He says that no war that takes place in the 21st century can ever be 'someone else's war.'
This book is not just a collection of speeches by other countries' presidents.
It is the story of a nation fighting against invasion, and the noble story of those who took the lead in protecting democracy in this world.
Readers will finally understand the inner workings and history of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which they had only vaguely known about, and will learn that it was not only Ukrainian cities that were destroyed by this war.
Above all, this book is a call for solidarity, calling on the world's citizens to fight together against this war that is turning back history, and to take action now to protect our daily lives and values.
Zelensky defines the war in Ukraine not as a territorial dispute between two countries, but as a crisis of values ​​facing all nations.
In this book, you will encounter countless reasons why we can no longer treat violence and war, which have persisted across time, place, and form, with indifference, as geopolitical news, or as bystanders.


“By buying this book, you are paying tribute to those who resist tyranny.”
- [Kirkus Review]

Zelensky dominated the narrative of this war through speeches delivered both domestically and internationally.
- [New York Times]

“Every single sentence of his speech reveals flawless moral clarity.”
- [Guardian]

"The Gettysburg Address of our time: poetic, defiant, yet emphatically powerful, a masterpiece that will be read for decades to come."
- [The Times]

“The president who transformed from Chaplin to Churchill, his courage changed history!”
- [Time]

“Zelensky’s speech is stronger than Putin’s gun.”
- [LA Times]

“A more unrealistic hero than Churchill!”
- [CNN]

“It’s extraordinary.
The direction of this war will follow Zelensky's prophetic slogan: "We used to say 'peace,' but now we say 'victory.'"

- [The Independent]

“His speeches are warm, witty, engaging, and full of sharp, to-the-point sentences.”
- [Telegraph]

“This book is a piece of history.
He will be remembered forever, like Lincoln.”
- [Amazon Reader Reviews]