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fullscreen Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Archive image. Photo: Wolfgang Rattay/AP/TT
Two years after Russian soldiers left the Kiev region, Volodymyr Zelenskyi pays tribute to his countrymen’s continued fighting spirit.
– Ukrainians build, they don’t destroy, he says in a speech released on social media.
The air raid sirens sounded on Sunday again in the Ukrainian capital region, at the same time as Ukraine marked the second anniversary of the region’s liberation.
– Ukraine will win. The key is not to lose faith in ourselves and not to waste a single day that we could spend contributing to our common goal, says President Zelenskyy in his speech.
At the end of March 2022, Russia withdrew from the Kiev region, and some day into April, Ukrainian military was able to regain control of the entire capital region.
But the danger is not over yet for a Russian attack on the city, warns the city’s mayor Vitalij Klytjko in an interview in the German Bild am Sonntag.
– Kiev was and remains a target for (President of Russia) Vladimir Putin, the capital is the heart of the country, he says.
– But today we are much better prepared for an attack than we were two years ago. If Putin decides to come here, it will be a bloody showdown.
The Ukrainian air defense says that on Sunday it shot down 18 out of 27 drones and rockets fired at the country.
– With terror, Russia tries to break us down, but we defend ourselves and persevere, says Zelensky.