- Defiant Zelenskiy warns of Russia’s “brutal attacks”.
- August 24 marks the 1991 independence from Soviet rule
- The UN nuclear agency could visit the Ukrainian plant within days
- The United States and the United Kingdom promise more arms deliveries to Ukraine
Kyiv, Aug 24 (Reuters) – Ukraine was “reborn” when Russia invaded six months ago, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday, commemorating Ukraine’s 31 years of independence from the Moscow-dominated Soviet Union, with the promise to completely expel the Russian forces.
After days of warnings that Moscow could use the anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence Day to launch more missile attacks on major urban centers, the second-largest city of Kharkiv was under curfew, after months of frequent bombings
The anniversary fell exactly six months after Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine. Wednesday’s celebrations were canceled but many people marked the day with embroidered shirts that are part of the national dress.
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In an emotional address to his compatriots, Zelenskiy said Russia’s attack had revived the nation’s spirit.
“A new nation appeared in the world on February 24th at 4 o’clock in the morning. It was not born, it was reborn. A nation that did not cry, or scream, or be afraid. One that did not run away. It was not he gave up. And he didn’t forget it,” he said.
The 44-year-old leader, speaking in front of Kyiv’s central independence monument bearing his battle scars, vowed to take back Russian-held areas of eastern Ukraine, as well as the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annex in 2014.
“We will not sit at the negotiating table out of fear, with a gun pointed at our heads. For us, the most terrible iron is not missiles, planes and tanks, but shackles. Not trenches, but shackles,” he said
He and his wife later joined religious leaders for a service at Kyiv’s Saint Sophia Cathedral and laid flowers at a memorial to fallen soldiers.
In its nightly update, Ukraine’s military high command said Russian air and missile strikes against military and civilian targets alike continued into Wednesday. “Today was rich with anti-aircraft sirens,” the General Staff said in a note.
Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian drone in the Vinnytsia region while several Russian missiles landed in the Khmelnytskyi area, regional authorities said, both west of Kyiv and hundreds of kilometers from the front lines.
No further details were provided and Reuters could not verify the reports.
On Tuesday evening, Zelenskiy warned of the possibility of “disgusting Russian provocations” and on Wednesday, Ukraine’s military urged people to take warnings of airstrikes seriously.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told a meeting of defense ministers in Uzbekistan that Moscow had deliberately slowed down what it referred to as its “special military operation” in Ukraine to avoid civilian casualties. Read more
INCREASE WESTERN SUPPORT
US President Joe Biden announced nearly $3 billion in arms and equipment for Ukraine in Washington’s “biggest tranche of security assistance to date.”
In a surprise visit to Kyiv on Wednesday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also pledged an additional $63.5 million in military support, including 2,000 drones and stray munitions to enable Ukraine’s military to better track and target invading Russian forces. Read more
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his wife Olena laid flowers at the Wall of Memory of Fallen Defenders of Ukraine, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, during the Independence Day commemoration in Kyiv , Ukraine, on August 24, 2022. Presidential Press Service of Ukraine via REUTERS
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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told Ukrainians they were an inspiration to the world. “You can count on NATO’s support. For as long as it takes,” he said in a video message.
Russia has made little progress in Ukraine in recent months after its troops were driven out of Kyiv in the first weeks of the war.
Ukraine’s top military intelligence officer, Kyrylo Budanov, said Russia’s offensive was slowing due to moral and physical fatigue in its ranks and Moscow’s “depleted” resource base . Read more
On the eastern front lines of the Ukrainian resistance and in shattered cities, some with deserted streets under curfew, fighters and civilians marked Ukraine’s independence day with strong words and the promise of victory. Read more
“Our nation has become more aware and therefore stronger to finally deliver a devastating response and punish the (Russian) criminals forever,” said Mkyta Nadtochii, commander of the Azov Regiment, who in May lost the port city of Mariupol after only months of fending off a devastating Russian siege.
NEW ATTACKS
Russian forces have seized areas in the south, including the Black Sea and Sea of Azov coasts, and large swaths of the eastern Donbas region comprising Luhansk and Donetsk provinces.
US officials have warned of possible new Russian attacks on civilian and government infrastructure in the coming days.
The war has killed thousands of civilians, forced more than a third of Ukraine’s 41 million people from their homes, left cities in ruins and shaken the global economy, creating shortages of staple grains and driving up food prices. the energy
Ukraine declared independence from the Soviet Union in August 1991, and its population voted overwhelmingly for independence in a referendum that December.
In southern Ukraine, both sides have accused the other of firing missiles and artillery at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, raising fears of a nuclear catastrophe.
The UN nuclear watchdog said it hoped to gain access soon. while Russia said it had detained two Ukrainian employees at the plant for passing information to Ukrainian authorities. Read more
Advanced US missile systems appear to have helped Ukraine strike deep behind front lines in recent months, taking out ammunition dumps and command posts.
In the latest mysterious fire at a Russian military facility, Russian officials said ammunition stored in the south, near the border with Ukraine, spontaneously combusted on Tuesday.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the Belgorod region, blamed the heat for the fire, drawing ridicule from Ukraine’s defense ministry on Twitter.
“The five main causes of sudden explosions in Russia are: winter, spring, summer, autumn and smoking,” he said.
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Additional reporting by Pavel Polityuk, Max Hunder, Andrea Shalal, Olzhas Auyezov, John Chalmers and Reuters bureaus; writing by Stephen Coates, Philippa Fletcher and Mark Heinrich; Editing by Jon Boyle, Catherine Evans, Gareth Jones and Hugh Lawson
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