KYIV — At the least 15 individuals had been killed and dozens wounded in a Russian rocket strike on a Ukrainian railway station on Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned, as his nation marked the anniversary of its independence from Moscow-dominated Soviet rule.
Zelensky on Tuesday had warned of the danger of “repugnant Russian provocations” on independence day, which marked six months precisely since Russian forces invaded Ukraine, touching off Europe’s most devastating battle since World Conflict II.
In a video deal with to the UN Safety Council, Zelensky mentioned the rockets had hit a practice within the city of Chaplyne, some 90 miles west of Russian-occupied Donetsk in jap Ukraine. 4 carriages had been on fireplace, he mentioned.
In an emotional speech to compatriots earlier within the day, Zelensky mentioned Ukraine was “reborn” when Russia invaded and he vowed it might finally drive out Russian forces fully.
“A brand new nation appeared on the planet on Feb. 24 at 4 within the morning. It was not born, however reborn. A nation that didn’t cry, scream or take fright. One which didn’t flee. Didn’t hand over. And didn’t neglect,” he mentioned, talking in entrance of Kyiv’s major monument to independence in his trademark fight fatigues.
After days of warnings that Moscow may use Ukraine’s independence day to fireside extra missiles into main city facilities, the second-biggest metropolis, Kharkiv, was below curfew, following months of frequent bombardment.
Public celebrations of independence day on Wednesday had been canceled, however many Ukrainians marked the day by sporting embroidered shirts typical of the nationwide costume.
Air raid sirens blared at the least seven instances within the capital, Kyiv, in the course of the day although no assaults transpired.
Zelensky and his spouse joined non secular leaders for a service in Kyiv’s Eleventh-century St. Sophia Cathedral and laid flowers at a memorial to fallen troopers.
In his speech, the 44-year-old chief vowed to recapture Russian-occupied areas of jap Ukraine in addition to the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014.
“We is not going to sit down on the negotiating desk out of worry, with a gun pointed at our heads. For us, probably the most horrible iron is just not missiles, plane and tanks, however shackles. Not trenches, however fetters,” he mentioned.
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