President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine has dared Russia to launch further attack in any part of the country, declaring that Ukraine forces are now turning the war against Russian troops. Zelenskyy, in a night video broadcast, vowed that he will “fight for every metre” of Ukrainian land. The president maintained that Ukrainian forces are ready for new Russian attacks in the eastern Donbas. He begged the U.S., NATO, and EU members to supply more weapons to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy told citizens of his country that ‘Ukraine is at a “turning point” in the five-week war with Russia.”
He reiterated his appeal to Western countries to send more weapons to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy in his broadcast, celebrated that the moving away of Russian troops from Kyivand Chernihiv was not a withdrawal but “the consequence of our defenders’ work”.
He, however, raised alarm that Ukraine is seeing a build-up of Russian forces for new attacks on the Donbas, boasting: “and we are preparing for that; Ukrainians “won’t give up anything and we’ll fight for every metre of our land, for every citizen.”
Russia has maintained its stance that its mission is to liberate two separatist regions, Donesky and Lunansky, from Ukraine.
Meanwhile, leader of the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic, Denis Pushilin, had affirmed that offensive operations were intensifying for their freedom. He said that they want to get through that very quickly to minimize destruction in the territory.
“We are well aware that the longer it takes us to liberate our territory, those settlements that are now under control of Ukraine, the more victims and destruction there will be,” Denis Pushilin said.
Donetsk extends to the port city of Mariupol, where there has been heavy bombardment by the Russian forces.