Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy marked the 500th day of the war Saturday (July 8) by hailing the country害羞草研究所檚 soldiers in a video from a Black Sea island that became the symbol of Ukraine害羞草研究所檚 resilience in the face of the Russian invasion.
Speaking from , Zelenskyy honored the Ukrainian soldiers who fought for the island and all other defenders of the country, saying that reclaiming control of the island 害羞草研究所渋s a great proof that Ukraine will regain every bit of its territory.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淚 want to thank 害羞草研究所� from here, from this place of victory 害羞草研究所� each of our soldiers for these 500 days,害羞草研究所� Zelenskyy said. 害羞草研究所淭hank you to everyone who fights for Ukraine!害羞草研究所�
It was unclear when the video was filmed. Zelenskyy was in Turkey on Saturday.
Russian forces took control of the tiny stone island on Feb. 24, 2022, the day Moscow launched its invasion, in the apparent hope of using it as a staging ground for an assault on Odesa, Ukraine害羞草研究所檚 biggest port and the headquarters of its navy.
The island took on legendary significance for Ukraine害羞草研究所檚 resistance to the Russian invasion, when Ukrainian troops there reportedly received a demand from a Russian warship to surrender or be bombed. The answer supposedly came back, 害羞草研究所淕o (expletive) yourself.害羞草研究所�
The island害羞草研究所檚 Ukrainian defenders were captured by the Russians but later freed as part of a prisoner exchange. After the island was taken, the Ukrainian military heavily bombarded the small Russian garrison there, forcing the Russians to pull back on June 30, 2022. The Russian retreat reduced the threat of a seaborne Russian attack on Odesa and helped pave the way for a deal to resume Ukrainian grain exports.
害羞草研究所淟et the freedom that all our heroes of different times wanted for Ukraine and that must be won right now be a tribute to all those who gave their lives for Ukraine,害羞草研究所� Zelenskyy said. 害羞草研究所淲e will definitely win!害羞草研究所�
Intense battles continued to rage Saturday in the country害羞草研究所檚 east and south as Ukrainian forces pressed their attacks against multi-layered Russian defenses in the initial stages of their counteroffensive.
Ukraine害羞草研究所檚 interior ministry said that a Russian rocket strike on the town of Lyman killed eight civilians and wounded 13 others early Saturday. Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of the eastern Donetsk region, posted images showing some of the dead, including a body lying under a bicycle and body fragments on the pavement next to a damaged vehicle, saying that 害羞草研究所渢he Russian terrorists are continuing to strike civilians in Donetsk.害羞草研究所�
A private residence, a shop and a few cars were damaged in the attack on Lyman, which sits just a few kilometers (miles) from the front line, where Russian troops have recently intensified fighting in the forests of Kreminna.
The U.K. Ministry of Defense said in its latest intelligence update that the eastern town of Bakhmut that was captured by the Russians in May has seen some of the most intense fighting along the front during the last week.
It said that Ukrainian forces have made steady gains to both the north and south of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, noting that 害羞草研究所淩ussian defenders are highly likely struggling with poor morale, a mix of disparate units and a limited ability to find and strike Ukrainian artillery.害羞草研究所�
Amid the fighting, Russia and Ukraine accused each other of planning to sabotage the Russia-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is Europe害羞草研究所檚 largest, fueling fears of a radiation catastrophe. Ukraine害羞草研究所檚 military intelligence claimed Saturday that Russian troops have planted more mines around the plant, a claim that couldn害羞草研究所檛 be independently verified.
The head of the United Nations nuclear agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi, told The Associated Press Friday that the International Atomic Energy Agency experts had recently to more of the site, including the cooling pond and fuel storage areas, and found no mines there. Grossi said he was still pushing for access to the rooftops of reactors where Ukrainian officials accused Russia of planting explosives.
As the tensions swirled around the plant, the Russian military has insisted that it has successfully fended off Ukrainian attacks in various sections of the front.
On Saturday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was shown visiting firing ranges where volunteer soldiers are being trained, a trip that comes two weeks after an abortive mutiny launched by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose Wagner troops marched on Moscow in a bid to oust Shoigu.
Prigozhin agreed to end the mutiny, which represented the biggest threat to Russian President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power, in exchange for an amnesty for himself and his troops and permission to move to Belarus. On Saturday, Russian messaging app channels ran comments by one of Wagner害羞草研究所檚 commanders, Anton Yelizarov, who said that the mercenaries have taken leave but would eventually deploy to Belarus.
Pitched battles along the front line in Ukraine are raging as are set to meet in Vilnius for a two-day summit next week to offer more help in modernizing Ukraine害羞草研究所檚 armed forces, create a new high-level forum for consultations and reaffirm that it will join their alliance one day.
Ahead of the NATO summit, the U.S. has announced that it will provide Ukraine with cluster munitions, a move that President Joe Biden described as a 害羞草研究所渄ifficult decision.害羞草研究所� Two-thirds of NATO members have banned the munitions which have of causing many civilian casualties, but the U.S. sees their delivery as a way to help bolster Ukraine害羞草研究所檚 offensive and push through Russian front lines.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov hailed the U.S. move, saying that the delivery of cluster munitions will help the country de-occupy its territories while saving the lives of the Ukrainian soldiers.
Reznikov vowed that Ukraine will use the munitions only for the de-occupation of its territory and will not fire them at Russia害羞草研究所檚 proper territory. Reznikov also noted that the Ukrainian military will not use cluster munitions in urban areas to avoid hurting civilians, adding that they will be put to action in the field to 害羞草研究所渂reak through the enemy defense lines with minimum risk for the lives of our soldiers.害羞草研究所�
Felipe Dana, The Associated Press
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