Finance
President Volodymyr Zelensky has made his first trip to Ukraine’s war-torn southern frontline, where his forces are making a slow advance.
He inspected damaged buildings and met soldiers, officials, and health workers while visiting the rebel city of Mykolaiv.
The Ukrainian president also paid a visit to Odesa, which has been subjected to Russian shelling since the war began.
Both cities are targets in Russia’s attempt to seize control of the Black Sea coast.
Mr Zelensky has met with international leaders on a regular basis in Kyiv since Moscow withdrew its forces from the capital city, deciding to refocus its efforts on capturing the eastern Donbas region.
However, he has also defied Russian troops by going to areas where fighting has erupted, and in recent weeks has visited other front-line cities, including Kharkiv in the east.
“It is important that you are alive. As long as you live there is a strong Ukrainian wall that protects our country,” the Ukrainian leader told troops in Odesa.
“I want to thank you from the people of Ukraine, from our state for the great work you are doing, for your impeccable service.”
Mr Zelensky presented medals to soldiers in Mykolaiv and urged them to continue fighting “Take care of Ukraine because it is the only thing we have. And remember that only you can take care of yourself “.
The city has long been a key target for Russian forces, who have bombarded it with rockets and artillery.
It is also only 100 kilometers (62 miles) north-west of Kherson, a city occupied by Russia since the beginning of the war but now subject to a slow but determined Ukrainian advance.
Mykolayiv Governor Vitaliy Kim claimed earlier this week that Russian troops were blowing up bridges near Kherson to slow Kyiv’s counteroffensive on the city.
Local officials say any Ukrainian advance is contingent on the arrival of long-range weapons promised by the West in time.
In other news, the UK Ministry of Defence said on Saturday that Russia was likely to renew its efforts to advance into the Donetsk region, which, along with Luhansk, forms the Donbas.
The Ukrainian military said it had “repelled Russian attacks” near Krasnopillya in Donetsk and Syrotyne in Luhansk, with operations around Severodonetsk still ongoing.
Governor Sergiy Gaiday told AFP that Russian forces “are just shelling our troop positions 24 hours a day” in the city, now the final Ukrainian holdout in the province.
And pro-Russian officials in the eastern, separatist-held city of Donetsk said five civilians were killed and 12 injured by Ukrainian bombardment.
Meanwhile, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security Council has dismissed reports from certain government officials that as many as 500 Ukrainian soldiers could be dying every day.
Oleksiy Danilov said the officials didn’t have access to the relevant information. Previously Ukrainian officials have spoken of up to 100 deaths a day.
In Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko has told the BBC his country will only enter peace talks after the “last Russian soldier has left Ukraine”.
According to the former boxer, the Russian people will eventually realize that their own soldiers are dying for nothing more than President Vladimir Putin’s ambition.
After returning from his trip to Kyiv on Friday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned against “Ukraine fatigue,” saying it was critical to demonstrate that allies were committed to Ukraine’s long-term fight against Russia.
He described Mr Putin’s ability to secure territorial gains as a “catastrophe.”
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, saying it aimed to “de-Nazify” and “demilitarise” its former Soviet neighbour.
According to the UN, over 4,500 civilians have been killed and nearly 5,600 have been injured in the ensuing war. Thousands of combatants on both sides have been killed or injured.
According to the UN, more than 13 million people have fled their homes.
The West has responded to the invasion by imposing harsh sanctions on Moscow and supplying weapons to Ukraine, but it has not intervened directly in the conflict with Russia, a nuclear superpower.
Source:HT
