On Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise visit to the newly liberated city of Izium in northeastern Ukraine. With this, he underlines Ukraine’s military success in recapturing large areas in recent times.
– You can brainwash people’s mentality, but you can’t brainwash the hearts of the Ukrainian people, he wrote on Telegram after the visit.
Izium was occupied by the Russians for six months and much of the city is in ruins.
– Like in Butsja
In connection with today’s visit to Izium, Zelenskii said the sight is not new to him. Destroyed and dead buildings are some of the things that today testify to the violent ravages of war over the past six months.
– It’s shocking to see, but I’m not surprised, because it’s the same thing we saw in Butsja, the first occupied areas. The Russians are destroying buildings, killing people, the Ukrainian president said.
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Butsja’s images have gone viral, showing extreme impressions of the war-torn city. The Russians are said to have killed several hundred civilians in the city before the Ukrainians took it back in April.
Zelenskii also held a minute’s silence for the fallen.
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According to the British The Guardian there are still many “tank wrecks” with the Russian signature “Z” symbol on crater-filled roads. Dozens of bombed-out apartment buildings remain in the city and the Russians are said to have transformed the interior of a church into a makeshift hospital. They also allegedly blew up the bridges before leaving.
– The most important thing we have
During the visit he addressed, among other things, the soldiers who liberated the city.
– Ukrainian fighters are heroes. Our children and grandchildren will never forget their successes. Thank you for your service, for clearing the temporarily occupied areas. Thank you for protecting the most important thing we have: Ukraine, our sovereignty and territorial integrity, writes the president on Telegram.
THANKS TO THE SOLDIERS: The Ukrainian president thanked the soldiers for the liberation of the city, which is one of the largest freed in recent times. Photo: The press service of the Ukrainian president / AFP / NTB
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While in Izium, the president attended a flag-raising ceremony in the burnt town hall.
– The Ukrainian flag will soon fly in all Ukrainian towns and villages. We are moving in only one direction: forward and towards victory, he writes.
– Ukraine or death
The Russian state news agency Tass also wrote about Zelenskyi’s visit to Izium.
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“The photos show that Zelenskyi’s jacket sleeve has a skull with the inscription ‘Ukraine or death’. A similar emblem is popular among Ukrainian right-wing radicals, including those involved in military operations in the Donbass,” the news agency writes. press about the visit.
Russian forces fled Izium when the Ukrainians advanced on a surprise offensive last week.
Several thousand square kilometers of Ukrainian territory have been recaptured and a new front appears to have formed along the Oskil River further east.
He left a lot of gear
Izium is an important transport hub which is a gateway to the industrial areas of Donbas. Before the war, the city had 40,000 inhabitants.
On the northern outskirts of the city, the remains of Russian tanks and vehicles are scattered along the road where Russian soldiers retreated.
CITIES IN RUIN: According to the Ukrainian president, the destruction of Izium is great. Photo: REUTERS / Gleb Garanich / NTB
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In the Izium area alone, one Russian unit left 39 T-80 tanks, 35 BMP-type armored vehicles, while another left 47 tanks and 27 armored vehicles. The Russians failed to destroy much of the equipment, NTB writes.
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