On Tuesday, the Ukrainian president visited a city in Donetsk, a region Russia declared its territory, after Moscow announced a trip by the Russian president to also annexed Kherson and Lugansk.
Volodymyr Zelensky was located in the town of Avdiivka, near the regional capital Donetsk, one of the hottest spots on the eastern front of the war in Ukraine, according to the French agency AFP.
“I am honored to be here today, to thank you for your service, for the defense of our country,” Zelensky told soldiers in Avdiivka, quoted in a presidential statement, which released photos and a video of the trip.
The Ukrainian announcement was made after Moscow announced that Vladimir Putin was traveling to Ukraine to visit Russian troop commands in the Kherson (south) and Lugansk (east) regions.
Putin’s visit took place on Monday, the official Russian news agency TASS reports.
Following the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Putin declared the annexation of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporijia regions on September 30.
Donetsk and Lugansk, which together make up Donbass (east), fought a separatist war against Kiev with Russian support after Russia invaded and annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in 2014.
Ukraine and the international community in general do not recognize Russian sovereignty in the five annexed regions.
In footage released by the Ukrainian presidency, Zelensky appears without a bulletproof vest or helmet, first outside with soldiers and later in a barracks, where he distinguished several soldiers.
The video also shows cars, believed to be part of the presidential train, driving between destroyed or heavily damaged buildings.
“I only wish you the victory, which I wish all Ukrainians,” Zelensky told soldiers, quoted by AFP.
“I wish you to save your life for Ukraine. With such strong people, I am sure that after the victory, we will rebuild Ukraine together,” he added.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine sparked a war that plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since World War II (1939-1945).
The number of civilian and military casualties is unknown, but several sources, including the UN, say it will be very high.
Source: DN
