Statements by the President of Ukraine
During his address to the nation, President Zelenskyy compared the Russian aggression against Ukraine to the start of war against Europe, against its unity, basic human rights, against all rules of co-existence on the European continent.
“Air raids, tanks march and rocket shelling of Ukrainian cities in the last two days remind of the scenes that Europe witnessed during WWII. Although Europe repeatedly said “Never again”, in 2022, i.e. seventy-five years after the end of the Second World War, we see history repeating. I am confident that all of you, the entire Europe, see that unfold. But we are not entirely clear about what we plan to do about it? How do you plan to protect yourself, if you are so slow in assisting us in Ukraine?
The President thanked the US, Canada, the UK, EU, Australia and New Zealand for introducing sectoral sanctions against Russia, in particular, against all largest banks, largest industrial enterprises and Russian access to Western technologies. However, as Zelenskyy noted, “Russian tanks continue shelling residential buildings in our cities, armed vehicles continue attacking civilians.”
The President urged Europe to cancel visas issued to Russian citizens, exclude Russia from SWIFT, recall its Ambassadors, close airspace, introduce oil embargo.
He added that ordinary people can also act by organizing street protests demanding their governments take action to stop the Russian aggression.
“Everyone can come to our Embassy and offer assistance. Talk to your governments and demand that Ukraine receives more assistance – more financial, more military assistance. By helping us, you are helping yourselves! If you have combat experience, you can come to our country and together with us protect Europe!” – said Zelenskyy.
He also directly addressed Russian President Putin: “Battles take place all over Ukraine. Let us sit at the negotiation table to stop human losses”.
The President closed his address by thanking the Ukrainian Armed Forces: “Stand strong. You are all we have!”
Rocket launcher «Grad» hits an orphanage in Vorzel
During the fighting, the Russian military allowed the shells of multiple rocket launcher «Grad» to hit one of the orphanages in Vorzel, Kyiv region, which housed 50 children. At the time of the shelling the children and staff of the orphanage were in other premises. Orphans were not evacuated from the area, there are no bomb shelters or basements on the territory of the orphanage. The Prosecutor’s office is taking measures to evacuate them.
Ukrainian Ministry of Defense
Because of damaged runway in Gostomel airport, Russian occupiers are heading from the territory of Belarus in the direction of Gomel-Chernihiv-Kyiv;
Russian IL-76 with paratroopers on board have landed at the airport in Gomel (Belarus);
Ukrainian army has stopped the aggressor in Chernihiv oblast
Occupiers are trying to surpass Chernihiv in order to attack the capital of Ukraine. The city of Konotop has been lost;
In the south, the enemy has reached the line of Kherson – Nova Kakhovka – Kakhovka, in order to hold the dam of North Crimean Canal and establish provision of water to temporarily occupied Crimea. There is a fight for the city of Melitopol;
In Donbas, the enemy keeps shelling at the Ukrainian military. Nevertheless, the occupiers have not managed to reach out of the administrative borders of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts;
Ukrainian army defends Kharkiv and Valuykiv, the military have managed to stop the enemy and have consolidated their position;
Air forces repel the blows of the enemy, they go on fighting and perform reconnaissance.
Ukrainian MiG-29 destroyed Russian Su-35 — Air Force of the Armed Forces.
Sumy military administration: Uragan fired the city of Okhtyrka. The shelter and kindergarten were hit. There are dead and seriously wounded, including children.
General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
As of 6 a.m.
The defense forces resist a significant offensive group of Russian occupiers.
The enemy inflicted an airstrike on units near the city of KROPYVNYTSKY.
Russian helicopters were seen in the areas above Vilkovo and Tiraspol.
Overwhelming enemy armored vehicles were stopped by airborne assault troops of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near settlements of DYMER and IVANKIV, near TETERIV River. The bridge across the river was destroyed.
As of 10:00 a.m.
Russian military aircraft was shot down near the town of Voznesenske in the Cherkasy region, the pilot ejected.
At 2:05 a.m. an armored group of Russian occupation forces tried to break through the defenses of Ukrainian troops in the area of the town of Trokhizbenka. Ukrainian soldiers destroyed 2 Russian tanks and 1 infantry fighting vehicle and forced the enemy to retreat. The combined forces are confident in holding their own positions and giving a decent rebuff to the invaders.
Units of Operational Command “North” have liquidated circa 20 units of the enemy’s tanks on the Menska direction in Chernihiv oblast. Precise losses of manpower are yet to be established.
Also, a subunit of “North” has liquidated columns of the enemy’s vehicles that was moving from Ripky to Chernihiv. Aggressor’s losses amount to 10-15 units.
The Russian occupiers continue the offensive operation against Ukraine in selected areas with the use of high-precision long-range weapons and operational and tactical aircraft.
Aviation is controlled and guided by A-50 aircraft from the territory of the Minsk Region in the airspace of Belarus and the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. In order to intimidate the population of Ukraine, the enemy is increasingly choosing to destroy civilian infrastructure and housing.
It is also known that Russian IL-76s with paratroopers on board landed at the Belarusian Gomel airfield.
Due to the damage to the runway of the GOSTOMEL airbase, the enemy decided to move on its own from the territory of Belarus in the direction of GOMEL-CHERNIGIV-KYIV.
In the Sivershchyna, units of the 1st detachment on the BILOUS river stopped the enemy.
Now the enemy, having received a worthy rebuff from the defenders of Chernihiv, is trying to bypass the city and attack the capital. For the same purpose, the attack on KYIV, not counting the losses, the enemy rushes in the direction of KOZELETS-BROVARY and the direction of KONOTOP-NIZHYN-KYIV. The city of KONOTOP was lost.
To the south, the enemy continues to carry out their plans of aggression and entered Kherson, Nova Kakhovka, Kakhovka with a goal of gaining control of the Pivnichnomorskiy canal dam in order to supply the temporarily occupied Crimean Peninsula with water. The enemy is fighting for the Ukrainian city of Melitopol.
In the Donetsk direction the situation is unchanged: the enemy has no success, the goal of reaching the administrative borders of Donetsk and Luhansk regions has not been achieved. The enemy does not stop the shelling of the joint forces.
In the Slobozhanshchyna region of KHARKOV and VALUYKIV, units of the Defense Forces continue to conduct defensive battles, stopped the enemy and gained a foothold along the defined boundaries.
The Air Force repulses enemy air strikes. Continues to conduct systematic combat operations. Conducts constant air reconnaissance.
In general, the joint forces are conducting a defensive operation and trying to stop the enemy along the entire line of contact.
As of 1 p.m:
The enemy continues its offensive operation against Ukraine in previously selected directions with the support of long-range operational and tactical aircraft and the use of high-precision long-range weapons.
There are no active actions of ground groups in the Volyn direction. Enemy aircraft continue demonstrations from the territory of the Republic of Belarus along the northern part of the state border of Ukraine.
In Polissia, the occupiers continue their offensive with significant forces in the direction of Kyiv.
Trying to maintain the pace of the offensive, the enemy introduces the second echelon of groups in some areas. The deployment of additional units in the direction of Skadovsk was noted.
After heavy fighting, the Joint forces stopped the enemy’s advance and maintained their positions. The bridge over the river Siversky Donets near the settlement of Happiness was destroyed.
Marine units were anchored on the right bank of the river Kalmius.
Other units of mechanized units were fixed at certain boundaries along the line of contact.
Our air defense system has destroyed several ballistic missiles and at least two aircrafts of the Russian Air Force.
Another tactical group of Ukrainian defense forces is holding the GOSTOMEL airfield, to which Russian airborne troops rushed yesterday.
The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine protects the sky over Kyiv. Thus, after 04:00, the Ukrainian air defense system did not allow the two deadly gifts of the «brothers» to reach the capital.
Zelenskyy talks to Duda on support from ‘Bucharest Nine’
Today President Zelenskyy tweeted: «We protect our freedom and land. Yet this require effective international support. Discussed it with Andrzej Duda, the Polish president. Called upon the ‘Bucharest Nine’ to provide military assistance and put pressure on the aggressor. Jointly we must bring Russia to the negotiation table. We need the anti-war coalition.”
(Note: ‘Bucharest Nine’ — is an international initiative of 9 NATO-member states of Central and Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic, Hungary and Czech Republic) to intensify cooperation among Eastern flank members of NATO).
Minister of Defense Reznikov
“Dear Ukrainians! Russia’s full-scale attack on our state has been going on for 30 hours.
Thanks to the heroism of our defenders, Ukraine endured the first, most difficult day. The occupiers suffered significant losses. Today we will be stronger. After all, thousands of people join the ranks of the Territorial Defense Forces and are ready to repel the enemy.
I am proud of each and every one of you! In Kyiv alone, there are already 18,000 assault rifle with the corresponding ammunition, which have already been distributed and will continue to be distributed to the TDF during yesterday and today. Numbers of those wishing to join the ranks of the TDF and stop the Russian occupiers with weapons in hand are growing, and weapons are still coming.
In addition, I decided, in agreement with the Commander of the TDF branch of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Brigadier General Yuri Galushkin, to involve to the ranks of TDF patriots over 60, who are morally and physically ready to resist and defeat the enemy.
So, to those «lost» in Ukraine Russians, get the hell back home.
I also spent most of the night talking to my fellow defense ministers, who provide us with constant support. The reaction of the world is becoming clearer. We will soon receive additional reinforcements in the form of modern weapons and other resources from our partners.
We have already managed to break the plans of the Russian occupiers. Now it is important to destroy the darkness of lies created by the Kremlin. And this will be the end of a serial killer and rapist who attacks neighbors.
We need to show the world and the citizens of Russia themselves that Russian troops are shelling peaceful cities, killing women and children. And that all who are silent become accomplices of the murderers.
And those who prevent Ukraine from fighting or block sanctions against the killer state are soiling their hands with the blood of innocent people.
I appeal to all citizens of Ukraine and the Ukrainian diaspora. Evidence of crimes committed by Russian occupation forces is published on official resources and social media pages of the Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State Emergency Service, the State Border Guard Service and other authorities and self-government bodies.
Take these facts and spread them through social networks. First of all — among Russian users. So that citizens of the Russian Federation see what they support.
It is important to spread these facts in the Italian, German and Hungarian media, as well as among journalists and officials in other European countries. Everyone who knows corresponding languages is our weapon.
We need to show the world what total defense is. And that our people cannot be defeated.”