Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Russia might do one thing “notably merciless” as Ukraine prepares to have fun Independence Day on Aug. 24 — a day that additionally marks six months of Moscow’s invasion.
Metin Aktas | Anadolu Company | Getty Photos
Ukraine’s president has warned that Russia might do one thing “notably merciless” as Ukraine prepares to have fun Independence Day on Wednesday — a day that additionally marks six months of Moscow’s invasion.
In his nightly handle on Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy referred to as on Ukrainians to be robust and to maintain preventing, because the nation ready to mark its independence from Soviet rule on Aug. 24.
“We must be conscious that this week Russia might attempt to do one thing notably nasty, one thing notably merciless,” he mentioned with out offering particulars.
He charged that considered one of Russia’s key goals is “to devalue our capabilities” and unfold despair, concern and conflicts.
“Due to this fact, it is necessary by no means, for a single second, to offer in to this enemy stress, to not wind oneself up, to not present weak spot.”
Ukraine might be celebrating its thirty first Independence Day on Wednesday — which marks six months since Russia’s unprovoked invasion, referred to by Moscow as a “particular navy operation.”
“A major milestone is forward – six months of this full-scale invasion,” Zelenskyy mentioned in his video message, calling it “the conflict that modified every little thing for Ukraine, for Europe, and for the world.”
Based on the United Nations Human Rights Workplace, greater than 5,500 civilians in Ukraine have been killed and practically 7,700 civilians injured from the beginning of the conflict to Aug. 15.
“A lot of the civilian casualties recorded had been brought on by way of explosive weapons with vast space results, together with shelling from heavy artillery, a number of launch rocket programs, missiles and air strikes,” in response to the Workplace of the United Nations Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights.
Individually, Russian state media accused Ukrainian forces of launching an artillery strike on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear energy plant in Ukraine, Europe’s largest nuclear energy plant. Situated in southeastern city of Enerhodar, the nuclear plant was captured by Moscow early within the conflict.
Russian state-owned information company RIA Novosti mentioned Ukraine’s armed forces have frequently attacked the Zaporizhzhia facility in current weeks, risking a large-scale nuclear disaster.
Each Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly accused one another of shelling the facility plant.
NBC Information reported that the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea fleet in annexed-Crimea was struck by a drone early Saturday.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet headquarters is positioned in Sevatsopol, Crimea, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014.
“A drone flew to the roof,” the Russian-appointed governor of occupied Crimea, Mikhail Razvozhayev, mentioned on Telegram.
NBC Information couldn’t independently confirm footage and a video posted on-line that appeared to point out a big plume of smoke billowing from the fleet’s headquarters.
