The Ukrainian president, Volodímir Zelenskistressed today that Russia never comes “forever” when referring to the release a year ago of Kherson of the Russian occupation, an operation that he considered a turning point in the war.
“All the south of Ukraine He became convinced last year that Russia never comes ‘forever’, no matter how many times he repeats it. Because Ukraine always comes back, always! When we know our objective. When it is a common goal. When we are united. And when we unite others around the Ukrainian goal,” he said in a message to the nation.
He added that thanks to the operation, Ukrainian forces cleared the right bank of the Dnieper from Russian occupiers, “liberated a significant part of the Kherson region, provided additional protection to Mykolaiv, Odessa and other cities and towns in the south” and “solidified Ukraine’s success in the battle for the Black Sea.”
At the same time, the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, “in the smiles of the people of Kherson, in the words of joy when they welcomed our soldiers, (…) also felt its future, saw what close as we were,” he said.
Zelenski stressed that over the last year, Russia “has been seeking revenge” for the liberation of Jerson and other Ukrainian cities with daily attacks with bombs, artillery and missiles.