President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukrainian troops, who are regaining control of the areas around Kyiv and Chernihiv, are not allowing the Russians to retreat without a fight, but are “firing” on them and “destroying everything they can,” according to the Associated Press.
In his video address yesterday, Zelensky said that Ukraine is aware that Russia is capable of putting even more pressure on eastern and southern Ukraine.
“What is the goal of Russian troops? They want to conquer Donbas and southern Ukraine,” Zelensky said. “And what is our goal? To protect ourselves, to protect our freedom, our land and our people.”
Zelensky said that a significant number of Russian troops are concentrated around Mariupol, where the city’s defenders continue to fight.
“Thanks to our resistance, thanks to the courage and resilience of our other cities, Ukraine has gained invaluable time, time that allows us to break the enemy’s tactics and weaken its capabilities,” Zelensky said.