Caravanserai
Security

Ukraine will fight 'until the end', Zelenskyy vows on Independence Day

By Caravanserai and AFP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska August 24 in Kyiv lay flowers at a memorial to Ukrainians killed in the ongoing Russian invasion. [Ukrainian presidential press office]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska August 24 in Kyiv lay flowers at a memorial to Ukrainians killed in the ongoing Russian invasion. [Ukrainian presidential press office]

KYIV -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Wednesday (August 24) vowed that Ukraine will resist the Russian invasion "until the end" without "any concession or compromise", as the nation marks its Independence Day as well as the six-month anniversary of the start of the war.

"We don't care what army you have; we care only about our land," Zelenskyy said in a defiant morning video address. "We will fight for it until the end."

Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24 has been bogged down in the face of stiff Ukrainian resistance, and embarrassing military mishaps are increasingly plaguing Russian forces.

Since an August 9 attack on the Saki air base in illegally annexed Crimea, Ukrainian forces have repeatedly shelled military targets on the peninsula, which was previously considered beyond their reach.

US military personnel load up aircraft with munitions bound for Ukraine. [US Department of Defence]

US military personnel load up aircraft with munitions bound for Ukraine. [US Department of Defence]

A woman dressed in Ukrainian national costume poses in front of destroyed Russian military equipment in Kyiv on August 20. Authorities turned a street into an open-air museum of wrecked Russian hardware ahead of Ukraine's Independence Day (August 24). [Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP]

A woman dressed in Ukrainian national costume poses in front of destroyed Russian military equipment in Kyiv on August 20. Authorities turned a street into an open-air museum of wrecked Russian hardware ahead of Ukraine's Independence Day (August 24). [Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP]

Recent weeks have also shown that Russian air defences are proving useless against US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).

Meanwhile on Wednesday, the United States announced $3 billion in fresh military aid to Kyiv on the date it severed ties with the Soviet Union in 1991.

The new funding will help Kyiv acquire more weaponry, ammunition and other military supplies.

Washington has warned that Moscow could be planning more strikes on civilian targets coinciding with Independence Day.

Authorities have banned gatherings in Kyiv, the capital. Shopping malls in Kyiv are closed for the anniversary.

European leaders also issued robust statements of support for Ukraine.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged unlimited assistance to Ukraine.

"The United Kingdom will stand with Ukraine and provide every possible military, economic and humanitarian support," Johnson said in a video message Wednesday.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Polish President Andrzej Duda and French President Emmanuel Macron all expressed their commitment to Ukraine.

Muted anniversary

In Kyiv, Ukrainians were sombre about the six-month anniversary.

"Six months -- the peace of life has been broken in every family," Nina Mikhailovna, 80, said in Kyiv Tuesday.

"How much destruction, how many dead, how can we relate to it?" she asked.

Pope Francis renewed calls for peace Wednesday "for the beloved Ukrainian people".

Following his weekly general audience at the Vatican, Francis directed his address to "the beloved Ukrainian people who for six months today have been suffering the horror of war"," while warning of the risk of nuclear catastrophe in the region.

"I hope that concrete steps will be taken to put an end to the war and to avert the risk of a nuclear disaster in Zaporizhzhia," he said.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine has been occupied by Russian troops for months.

Do you like this article?

3 Comment(s)

Comment Policy * Denotes Required Field 1500 / 1500

I'm surprised the Ukrainians proved to be such fearless and selfless warriors. They haven't let Nazi Russian troops into Kyiv and will drive them away from the other territories in due course.

Reply

So many lies... The article is garbage.

Reply

Ukraine will win; the touted "second strongest army in the world" proved to be Putin's toy army.

Reply