Kyiv, June 18 (Reuters) – President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has paid another visit to troops on the frontlines of Ukraine’s war against Russia, soldiers representing positions hailed as brave and hardworking and vowing the country will be victorious.
A video posted to Zelenskiy’s official Telegram account on Saturday showed the president in his signature khaki T-shirt handing out medals and posing for selfies with troops in what appeared to be an underground bunker in the southern Mykolaiv region.
The President’s office did not say when he made his last trip to see troops.
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“Our brave men and women. Each of them is working flat out,” said Zelenskyy in the video. “We’ll definitely keep going! We’ll definitely win!”
Since Russia invaded the country on February 24, Zelenskyy has mostly stayed in Kyiv. But in recent weeks he has been making unannounced visits to the northeastern city of Kharkiv, which has previously seen heavy fighting, and is fighting in two eastern cities near the battlefields. Continue reading
Fighting is also going on on the eastern and southern edges of the Mykolayiv region in southern Ukraine.
Zelenskyi’s office said the president also visited the regional capital, Mykolaiv, and inspected the destroyed administration building, where 37 people were killed when a missile ripped through the building in late March.
Russian troops reached the outskirts of Mykolaiv in early March but were pushed back.
He also visited a hospital in Mykolaiv and presented honors to Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych and Governor Vitaliy Kim for their bravery for their work during the four months of the Russian invasion, his office said in separate statements.
His post underscored the strategic importance of the territory bordering the Russian-occupied Kherson region.
“Mykolaiv region is a beachhead for the liberation of Kherson region, which is a goal for each of us,” Chief of General Staff Andriy Yermak said on Telegram.
His office later said Zelenskyy also visited National Guard positions in the Odessa region, where he thanked the troops for their service and said, “As long as you live, there is a strong Ukrainian wall protecting our country.”
Moscow says it is involved in a “military special operation” to disarm its neighbor. Ukraine and its allies say Moscow launched an unprovoked war of aggression, killing thousands of civilians and leveling cities.
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Edited by Alessandra Prentice, Mark Potter and Frances Kerry
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