Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski made a surprise visit on Monday to the city of Kherson (south), recently recaptured by Kiev after the withdrawal carried out by Russia in the face of the advances of Ukrainian troops in the region.
«We are moving forward. We are ready for peace, peace in the whole country,» he said in statements to the press, before rejecting that Ukrainian troops are going to advance towards Russian territory. «Not towards Moscow. We are not interested in the territories of another country,» he has explained, according to a statement released by the Ukrainian Presidency.
«We are reaching step by step all the territories of our country temporarily occupied. Of course, it is difficult, it is a long and hard way. The best heroes of our country are in this war,» he stressed, before emphasizing that Kiev «respects international law and the sovereignty of all states.»
Thus, he said that the Ukrainian authorities «are only interested in putting an end to the occupation of the country and territories». «I don’t know what will happen next, but it will happen,» he pointed out, while stressing that «the cost of war is something.» «Nobody gives up anything easily. People get hurt and many have died,» he has lamented.
Zelensky has outlined that the Russian forces «withdrew or fled» due to the fact that the Ukrainian Army «surrounded the enemy and they were in danger». «There were fierce battles and the result of them is that today we are in the Kherson region,» he extolled. «We are returning our Armed Forces, our state and the flag (to Kherson),» he noted.
On the other hand, he has denounced that Russian troops have caused great destruction in Kherson. «This is what Russia has done to our country, it has proved to the whole world that it can kill, but our Armed Forces, our National Guard and Intelligence services have proved that it is impossible to kill Ukraine.»
The Ukrainian president, who led a flag-raising ceremony in the city, called for a minute’s silence for those killed during the liberation of the city, before pointing out that the authorities are working on demining efforts. «Since we have been here there have been many cases of wounded and dead (due to the explosion of these devices),» he lamented.
He also thanked NATO and other allies of Kiev for their support in the war against Russia and argued that the delivery of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) has greatly strengthened the capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in dealing with the invasion.
Zelensky has also posted on his Telegram account a series of photos from his visit to the city along with the message «Kherson, Ukraine». Shortly after he has added a new photo gallery of his meetings with a number of servicemen and added «our heroes».
The visit came hours after the Ukrainian leader claimed that Ukraine «has already documented more than 400 Russian war crimes» in Kherson and noted that «the bodies of civilians and servicemen are being found.» «In the Kherson region, the Russian Army left behind it the same atrocities as in other regions of our country it was able to enter,» he said.
«We will find and bring to justice all the murderers, no doubt,» he said, while stressing that the Ukrainian authorities «will ensure stabilization and restoration of law and order in 226 localities of the Kherson region.» «We are restoring communications, Internet and television. We are doing everything possible to restore as soon as possible normal technical capacities for electricity and water supply,» he stressed.
In this regard, he promised that the authorities «will restore transport services and postal service» and stressed that «the restoration of the work of the Police and some private companies is beginning,» the Kyiv Post portal reported. «Our presence will be felt,» he said, before warning that «the situation in the Kherson region is still very dangerous» because of the existence of anti-personnel mines.
«I call on all residents of Kherson to be very careful and immediately inform the rescue teams about all dangerous objects. Arrest of Russian soldiers and mercenaries who were left behind on the territory and neutralization of saboteurs is also underway,» Zelenski remonstrated.
For his part, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he was «going to leave without comment» the fact that Zelenski visited Kherson, annexed in September by Russia. «They already know that it is part of Russia’s territory,» he insisted, as reported by the Russian news agency Interfax.
Peskov himself said last week that the Kremlin does not consider the decision to withdraw troops in the Ukrainian region of Kherson as humiliating and pointed out that «it is Russian», ruling out any change to its status since Moscow’s decision to annex it along with Donetsk, Lugansk and Zaporiyia, also partially occupied.
Ukrainian forces regained on November 11 control of the city of Kherson, seized by Russia on March 2, amid a withdrawal of Russian forces across the Dnieper river in the face of the advances made during the last weeks by the Ukrainian Army in this region.
