Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that his forces, which now control the strategic city of Lyman, will take other cities in the Donetsk region, annexed by Russia on Friday, “next week.”
“During the week, new Ukrainian flags were raised in Donbass,” where the Donetsk region is located, Zelensky said. “There will be even more next week,” he added.
Addressing the Russian people, the Ukrainian president said: “You will be killed one by one” as long as Russian President Vladimir Putin, who ordered the invasion of Ukraine, is in power.
“Until all of you solve the problem of who started everything, who started this senseless war against Ukraine, you will be killed one by one, becoming scapegoats, because you do not admit that this war is a historical mistake for Russia,” he stressed. Zelensky, in daily communication from him.
The Russian army also announced this Saturday the “withdrawal” from the city of Lymana major railway junction in eastern Ukraine, which the country’s military says it has “surrounded” in recent hours.
“Threatened by siege, Allied troops were withdrawn from Lyman to more favorable positions,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement, referring to a post where Moscow-controlled forces had deployed around 5,000 soldiers.
In the last few hours, the The Ukrainian forces had announced the entry into Lymanin the Donetsk region, whose annexation by Russia had been celebrated by Moscow on Friday.
“Lyman is an important position, as it is the next step towards the liberation of Donbass. This is an opportunity for us to advance towards Kreminna and Sievierodonetsk, so it becomes psychologically very relevant,” admitted Serhii Cherevatyi, a spokesman for the Ukrainian forces.
The military offensive launched on February 24 by Russia in Ukraine has already caused the flight of more than 13 million people -more than six million internally displaced persons and more than 7.4 million to European countries-, according to the latest data from the UN, which places this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since the Second World War (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion —justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security— was condemned by the generality of the international community, which has responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and imposing them on Russia. political and economic sanctions.
Source: Observadora
