Ukraine’s Zelensky says Russian troops intend to capture Zaporizhzhia, after fall of Kherson and Mariupol
- Ukraine’s president says ‘the most threatening situation’ has developed in the Zaporizhzhia region
- Ukrainian troops were also engaged in fierce street fighting with Russian soldiers in Sievierodonetsk
Ukraine’s president said Russian troops intend to capture Zaporizhzhia, a large city in the country’s southeast, which would allow the Russian military to advance closer to the centre of the country.
Volodymyr Zelensky told a news conference on Monday that peace talks with Russia stood at “level zero”, and in the meantime “the most threatening situation” has developed in the Zaporizhzhia region, parts of which have already been taken by Russia.
“The enemy wants to … occupy the city of Zaporizhzhia,” Zelensky said.
In the south of Ukraine, Russia has already seized the large Ukrainian cities of Kherson and Mariupol. The Zaporizhzhia region, with the population of 1.6 million, is one of the biggest industrial hubs of Ukraine’s southeast. The city itself has 722,000 people.
Zelensky also said Ukrainian troops were still fighting in the eastern part of the country known as the Donbas. In the Luhansk region, which is part of the Donbas, the Ukrainian resistance continues in Sievierodonetsk, one of the two key cities in the region still not in Russia’s hands, he said.
“There are more of them, they are more powerful, but we have every chance to fight on this direction,” Zelensky said.
Ukraine’s Zelensky visits close to war front line near Sievierodonetsk
Sievierodonetsk Mayor Oleksandr Stryuk said street fighting was raging and neither side was preparing to withdraw. Both sides say they have inflicted huge casualties on each other.
Russia says it is on a mission to “liberate” the Donbas – partly held by separatist proxies of Moscow since 2014 – after Ukrainian forces pushed its troops back from the capital Kyiv and Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv in the war’s early stages.
Russia calls its action in Ukraine a “special military operation” to stamp out what it sees as threats to its security. Ukraine and its Western allies dismiss this as nonsense and say Russia’s is an unprovoked war to grab territory that risks turning into a wider European conflict.
Zelensky sought to rally his troops on Sunday with a visit to two cities close to the front lines.
“What you all deserve is victory – that is the most important thing. But not at any cost,” Zelensky said in a video.
He said he had travelled to Lysychansk, south of Sievierodonetsk, and Soledar – rare outings for him outside Kyiv since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24.
Ukraine’s defence ministry said Russian forces were also advancing towards Sloviansk, which lies about 85km (53 miles) to the west of Sievierodonetsk.
Some 60km (40 miles) to the south, on the front line near Bakhmut, Ukrainian soldiers said the situation was difficult but they had no choice but to push back Russian forces.
Russian general reportedly killed in eastern Ukraine
A unit commander who gave his name as Maxym appealed for more arms from Ukraine’s allies.
“With more anti-tank weapons we would be able to destroy their tanks, to cause maximal damage and the enemy will be forced to flee from where they came,” he told Reuters. “ … We will fight for every piece of this land.”
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Inside Kherson, the first Ukrainian city to fall under full Russian control
Britain this week followed the United States in announcing it would supply longer-range, mobile rocket launchers to Ukraine’s forces, which could improve Kyiv’s fight against Russian firepower.
The announcement came after Russia’s President Vladimir Putin had warned that Moscow will hit new targets in Ukraine if the West supplies Kyiv with such weapons – but did not specify which targets.
Associated Press and Agence France-Presse
