According to President Selenskyj, Ukraine has so far successfully defended itself against Russian attacks in the greater Kiev area. “We have asserted ourselves and are successfully fending off enemy attacks,” says Zelenskyj in a new video message published on Facebook. Fighting continues in many regions of Ukraine. But it is “the Ukrainian army that controls Kiev and important cities around the capital”. The 44-year-old head of state again accuses Russia of attacking civilian targets.
The enemy used everything against us: missiles, fighter planes, drones, artillery, armored vehicles, paratroopers.
However, the Russian army failed to break the Ukrainians’ resistance. Russia planned to install political “puppets” in Kiev, like those in the separatist areas of eastern Ukraine, Zelenskyj says, adding: “We thwarted their plan.”
In the video, Zelenskyj is also addressing the Russian population directly. He knows that “many people in Russia are simply shocked by the shabbiness and cruelty” of their government. The Russians must now make it clear to the Kremlin “that this war must be ended immediately,” he says, also referring to the Russian casualties. “Just stop those who are lying to you, who are lying to us, who are lying to the whole world.”