Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky used part of his Saturday night TV address to say that major milestones of Russian deaths in the ongoing war won’t change the Kremlin’s mind about continuing to fight it.
Zelensky said Russia has suffered nearly 65,000 deaths so far as the war enters its 235th day. The Ukrainian president said it wouldn’t matter if Russian deaths hit 100,000, Russia will keep pressing forward.
“So many citizens of Russia gave their lives for the opportunity of a handful of people in the Kremlin to ignore reality,” Zelensky said. “And according to the way the Russian “burial” continues, we can say that even 100,000 dead Russian citizens will not prompt the Kremlin to think about something.”
Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/FRANCE TELEVISIONS/AFP via Getty Images
Russia amassed troops along Ukraine’s northern and western borders in late January while it also conducted military with neighboring Belarus. Russia attacked Ukraine on February 24 this year and there have been heavy casualties on both sides. That includes Ukrainian civilians, foreign fighters, Ukrainian military and about 64,500 Russians, according to the Ukraine Ministry of Defense.
On Saturday, the Ministry of Defense for the Russian Federation said 11 soldiers were killed and another 15 wounded at a firing range in Belgorod, which isn’t far from the Ukraine border. The federation called it an “act of terror” and that two “terrorists” had been killed by retaliatory fire. This comes two weeks after an explosion on the Kerch Strait Bridge that connects Crimea to the Russian mainland. Russia also called that a “terrorist act” by Ukraine.
Zelensky said it’s likely Russian casualties will keep mounting at its normal rate, and that it’s Ukraine’s mission to keep fighting for their country as the harsh winter monnths approach.
“Only real victories for Ukraine, only real protection of itself by the free world from Russian terror and blackmail – protection with sanctions, protection with help to Ukraine, – only complete displacement of the occupiers from Ukrainian land and dismantling of the aggressive capabilities of the terrorist state – all this is the way to peace,” Zelensky said.
Since the war began, Russia has failed to overtake Kyiv, Lviv and Odesa, but they occupied many regions in the eastern portion of Ukraine. Russia has occupied most of the Donbas Oblast, which includes Luhansk, Severodonetsk, Donetsk and Mariupol. They occupied the Crimea peninsula in 2014.
Two weeks ago, Russia annexed four Ukrainian regions–Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson-claiming the citizens of those regions overwhelmingly voted for it. Zelensky said Saturday called the situations in Donetsk and Luhansk “difficult.”
“A very difficult situation persists in Donetsk region and Luhansk region. The most difficult is the Bakhmut direction,” Zelensky said. “As in previous days, we are holding our positions.
“In general, in the east and south, we are doing everything to make the occupiers feel that they have no prospects, no matter who they send to fight against us, it will only end in defeat for them,” Zelensky said.
Newsweek reached out to the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment.
