Ukraine’s president pledges ‘retribution’ and calls Russian President Vladimir Putin a ‘sick outdated man from Pink Sq.’.
Russia wished to “destroy” Ukraine however battle has “returned to its house”, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says in an independence day video deal with filmed within the border space from the place Kyiv launched its surprise incursion into Kursk.
Ukraine was on Saturday celebrating its thirty third independence day from the Soviet Union amid the protracted battle, with Ukrainian forces getting into Russia’s Kursk area and Moscow making positive factors in additional japanese Ukrainian areas.
Zelenskyy posted a video on Saturday from a abandoned, forested space within the Sumy area, which he visited this week, saying it was a “few kilometres” from the place Ukrainian forces crossed into Russia on August 6.
Zelenskyy mentioned Ukraine “surprises as soon as once more” and promised that Russia will “know what retribution is”.
By launching its 2022 invasion, he mentioned “Russia was searching for one factor: to destroy us”, including that “what the enemy delivered to our land has now returned to his house”.
“Anybody who desires to sow evil on our land will reap its fruit on their territory,” Zelenskyy mentioned. “This isn’t a prediction, not gloating, not blind revenge. It’s justice.”
The offensive in Kursk is essentially the most important cross-border assault since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine started in February 2022.
Since August 6, Ukrainian forces have reportedly occupied dozens of villages on greater than 1,000 sq. kilometres (386 sq. miles) and captured Russian servicemen.
Zelenskyy referred to as Russian President Vladimir Putin a “sick outdated man from Pink Sq. who consistently threatens everybody with the pink button”. The Pink Sq. in Moscow can also be the place Russia holds its annual huge army parade, attended by Putin and different high political and army officers.
Whereas the Kursk incursion has rattled Moscow, it has not slowed Russia’s advance in eastern Ukraine.
Reporting from Kyiv, Al Jazeera’s Alex Gatopoulos mentioned that celebrations within the capital have been muted and huge crowds have been discouraged, not like in earlier years when captured Russian tools was paraded.
“The concern is that there could be a large Russian drone or missile assault; this has been anticipated over the previous day,” he mentioned.
“The capital’s air defences are on further excessive alert to ensure they will deal with any potential inflow. Up to now, it’s been quiet.”
On Saturday, Zelenskyy additionally signed a legislation banning Moscow-linked non secular organisations in Ukraine together with the Moscow-linked Orthodox Church with the choice revealed on the Ukrainian parliament web site.
In the meantime, European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen mentioned on Saturday that Ukraine was “shifting at unbelievable velocity in direction of becoming a member of the European Union”.
In a brief video posted to X to mark Ukraine’s independence day, von der Leyen mentioned: “Europe will all the time be at Ukraine’s aspect as a result of Ukraine is Europe. Your freedom is our freedom. Your safety is our safety.”
“And now you might be shifting at unbelievable velocity in direction of becoming a member of the European Union. We’ve been standing with you since day one and we’ll proceed to take action for so long as it takes. Slava Ukraini [glory to Ukraine].”
Ukraine grew to become an official candidate for EU membership in June 2022, 4 months after Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The primary spherical of formal accession negotiations was held in June this yr.
