Politics
CPAC 2022: Rubio praises courage of Ukrainian civilians in fight against Russian invaders
“These are people that are basically saying ‘we refuse to be Putin’s slaves, we refuse to live under tyranny and we’re prepared to give our life and die for it," he said
February 25, 2022 1:35pm
Updated: February 25, 2022 4:20pm
ORLANDO -- Republican Sen. Marco Rubio took the stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando on Friday morning and called on Americans to find inspiration in the Ukrainian people’s fight for freedom as Russian troops continue to advance on Kyiv.
We love you, Florida! 🌴🇺🇸 #CPAC #AwakeNotWoke pic.twitter.com/E67wJVHOhi
— CPAC 2022 (@CPAC) February 25, 2022
“I don’t know if you’ve watched the news in the last 48 hours, but you have 70-something year old men, elderly women, young children taking up arms prepared to sacrifice everything,” Rubio said, adding that the Ukrainian people’s willingness to fight for freedom is “inspiring to the world.”
Referencing a recording of Ukrainian soldiers defiantly telling the crew of a Russian warship to “go f*** yourself” when asked to surrender or face bombardment, Rubio told the packed room that, “It reminds you how valuable freedom and liberty are.”
Ukrainian post at Snake Island in the Black Sea told Russian warship to "go f*** yourself" after being told to surrender. The 13 service members were killed.#Russia #Ukraine #SnakeIsland #BlackSea #RussiaUkraineCrisis #RussiaUkraineConflict pic.twitter.com/dBva5ETyuv
— WORLD WAR 3 - RUSSIA vs Ukraine #2022 (@WW32022) February 24, 2022
“These are people that are basically saying ‘we refuse to be Putin’s slaves, we refuse to live under tyranny and we’re prepared to give our life and die for it," he said.
Although the thirteen border guards were killed during the encounter, Zelensky told reporters that, “All border guards died heroically but did not give up,” adding that they will posthumously be awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine.
According to the Florida senator, such an example should serve to remind Americans that freedom is precious but also fleeting. “The reason we’ve had freedom and we’ve had liberty is because at one point we were willing to die for our country,” he added.
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr -- who promised to stay in Kyiv amid the invasion -- signed a decree ordering the general mobilization of the population, calling up conscripts and reservists over the next 90 days to “ensure the defense of the state, maintaining combat and mobilization readiness.”
"We have been left alone to defend our state," Zelensky told the Ukrainian people in a late-night video address – further warning "a new iron curtain" had fallen between Russia and the West, Reuters reported.
Ukrainian military units began entering the capital on Friday in preparation for what could quickly turn into urban, guerrilla warfare – with tens of thousands of civilians taking up government-issued weapons and preparing Molotov cocktails, Business Insider reported.
Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko told reporters that the city “has entered into a defensive phase” – warning that “shots and explosions are ringing out in some neighborhoods saboteurs have already entered Kyiv.”
Since Russia invaded Ukraine early Thursday morning, Ukrainian forces have killed more than 2,800 Russian soldiers and destroyed upwards of 80 tanks, 516 armored combat vehicles, 10 aircraft and 7 helicopters, Ukraine’s defense ministry reported.
