Ukraine War: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits front lines in first official appearance outside Kyiv since Russian invasion | World News
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited soldiers on the front lines in the northeastern region of Kharkiv in his first official appearance outside Kyiv since the start of the Russian invasion.
“You risk your lives for all of us and for our country,” he told the soldiers, according to the website of the president’s office.
Mr. Zelenskyy also offered compliments and gifts during his visit to the region.
His chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, posted on Telegram that the president had also visited Ukraine’s second largest city Kharkiv.
He added that 31% of the Kharkiv region is currently occupied by Russia, the next 5% has been taken back by Ukraine.
Several loud explosions were heard in the city after Mr. Zelenskyy’s visit.
A large plume of black smoke can also be seen rising northeast of downtown.
The city has faced renewed Russian shelling in recent days after several weeks of relative calm.
Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said more than 2,000 apartment buildings have been destroyed since the Russian invasion began on February 24.
The President speaks to the Russian military during his visit
Troops locked in melee combat
Meanwhile, Russian and Ukrainian troops engaged in close combat in the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk on Sunday as Moscow’s troops tried to capture strategic positions with the backing of fierce artillery shelling. bouncing.
Ukrainian regional officials said Russian forces “attacked” the city after an unsuccessful attempt to encircle it. The mayor said the fighting had cut power and cell phone services and rendered a humanitarian aid center inoperable because of the danger.
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The city, located about 89 miles (143 km) south of the Russian border, has recently become the focus of Moscow’s quest to capture the entirety of Ukraine’s industrial Donbas region.
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Battle for Severodonetsk
‘Indescribable’ situation
Russia has also stepped up its claim to nearby Lysychansk, where civilians have fled to escape persistent shelling.
The two cities are the last major areas under Ukrainian control in Luhansk Oblast, which together with neighboring Donetsk make up the Donbas region.
Zelenskyy described the situation in the east as “indescribably difficult”, adding that “the Russian military is trying to achieve at least some results” by concentrating its attacks in the east. there.
