Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived on the front line in Avdiivka (Donetsk region) on Tuesday. According to the head of the Ukrainian President’s office Andrii Yermak, Zelenskyy spoke with military personnel from the marines, airborne, mechanized and artillery assault units. He expressed his gratitude to the fighters for their service and presented them with awards.
“It is a great honor for me to be here today to thank you for your service, for the protection of our land, of Ukraine, of our families,†the Ukrainian president said.
He also presented awards to wounded soldiers in the hospital.
Video footage released by the Ukrainian president’s office shows badly damaged multi-storey residential buildings in Avdiivka, where around 1,800 civilians still live, according to Ukrainian authorities.
In recent weeks, Zelenskyy has repeatedly visited troops near the front lines.
Head of Ukrainian President’s Office Andrii Yermak, accompanying Zelenskyy on the trip, wrote on Telegram: “Avdiivka is another fortress city that our defense forces do not allow the enemy to encircle. The plan of the Russians is clear – they want to encircle the city, bombard it (with the help of) artillery and planes, then seek to break through to Pokrovsk.
According to Yermak, the fighters of the 110th mechanized brigade “give no chance to the enemy and thwart all the plans of the Russian terrorist forces”.
Speaking about the battles at Bakhmut, near Marinka, Vugledar and Avdiivka, Yermak stressed that successful defense is of paramount importance today.
“Our army has already smashed the enemy’s plans to break through the defense and deepen in the East,” said the head of the office of the President of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, a Russian artillery attack on Kherson on Tuesday killed one person and injured nine others.
According to the head of the Kherson OVA, Alexander Prokudin, the blow fell on the downtown market.
Recently, Kherson has often been bombarded by Russian troops, who fortified themselves on the opposite bank of the Dnieper. Ukrainian forces retook Kherson in November 2022 after nearly eight months of Russian occupation.
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