Zelenskyy warns of ‘merciless’ Russia assault forward of Ukraine Independence Day

Ukraine’s president has warned that Russia may do one thing “significantly merciless” as Ukraine prepares to have a good time Independence Day on Wednesday — a day that additionally marks six months of Moscow’s invasion.

In his nightly handle on Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy referred to as on Ukrainians to be robust and to maintain preventing, because the nation ready to mark its independence from Soviet rule on Aug. 24.

“We must be conscious that this week Russia might attempt to do one thing significantly nasty, one thing significantly merciless,” he mentioned with out offering particulars.

He charged that one in every of Russia’s key goals is “to devalue our capabilities” and unfold despair, concern and conflicts.

“Subsequently, it is vital by no means, for a single second, to provide in to this enemy stress, to not wind oneself up, to not present weak point.”

Ukraine will likely be celebrating its thirty first Independence Day on Wednesday — which marks six months since Russia’s unprovoked invasion, referred to by Moscow as a “particular navy operation.”

“A major milestone is forward – six months of this full-scale invasion,” Zelenskyy mentioned in his video message, calling it “the conflict that modified every part for Ukraine, for Europe, and for the world.”

In accordance with the United Nations Human Rights Workplace, greater than 5,500 civilians in Ukraine have been killed and almost 7,700 civilians injured from the beginning of the conflict to Aug. 15.

“A lot of the civilian casualties recorded have been prompted by means of explosive weapons with large space results, together with shelling from heavy artillery, a number of launch rocket techniques, missiles and air strikes,” in line with the Workplace of the United Nations Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights.

Individually, Russian state media accused Ukrainian forces of launching an artillery strike on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear energy plant in Ukraine, Europe’s largest nuclear energy plant. Situated in southeastern city of Enerhodar, the nuclear plant was captured by Moscow early within the conflict. 

Russian state-owned information company RIA Novosti mentioned Ukraine’s armed forces have usually attacked the Zaporizhzhia facility in latest weeks, risking a large-scale nuclear disaster.

Each Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly accused one another of shelling the ability plant.

NBC Information reported that the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea fleet in annexed-Crimea was struck by a drone early Saturday.

Russia’s Black Sea Fleet headquarters is situated in Sevatsopol, Crimea, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014.

“A drone flew to the roof,” the Russian-appointed governor of occupied Crimea, Mikhail Razvozhayev, mentioned on Telegram.

NBC Information couldn’t independently confirm footage and a video posted on-line that appeared to point out a big plume of smoke billowing from the fleet’s headquarters.