Ukrainian President calls on citizens to stand up to Russia, accusing Russia of trying to destroy Donbass
The bombing of residential areas in the city of Kharkiv by Russia is a terrorist act, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelinsky.
Zelensky added in a video speech Sunday evening, April 17, that 18 people had been killed and more than 100 injured in the bombing over the past four days.
“The shelling of residential areas with mortars and artillery and the targeting of civilians by Russia can be nothing but deliberate terrorism,” he said, adding that Russian bombardment of Kharkiv was continuing.
Meanwhile, Kharkiv region governor Ole Siniya-Yubov had earlier said that five people had been killed and 20 others wounded in a Russian bombing of the city center.
“In a counterattack operation against Russian forces in the Kharkiv region, the Ukrainian armed forces were able to retake two villages and to take control of a third village,” Siniyubov wrote in a telegram.
The Ukrainian president also accused Russia yesterday of wanting to “destroy” the entire Donbass region.
He promised the people of his country that he would do his best to defend Donbass and the strategic port city of Mariupol.
“Russian troops are preparing to attack the east of our country,” Zelensky said in a video message. They want to destroy Donbass.
“Just as Russian troops are destroying the city of Mariupol, they want to destroy other cities in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions,” he added.
“Do not cooperate with the occupiers, you must stand against them,” the Ukrainian president told his compatriots.
Stressing that a boycott of Russian oil is now a necessity, he told European countries that it was time to boycott Russian oil shipments.
The Prime Minister of Ukraine also stressed that the defenders of Mariupol do not accept the deadline set by Russia to leave the city and will fight to the end.
Meanwhile, Russian forces on Monday tightened the siege of the strategic coastal city of Mariupol and continued their attacks on the city.
Russia has previously called on Ukrainian troops to leave Mariupol until Sunday (April 17th) to save their lives, but Ukrainian forces and officials have said they will fight the Russians to the last.
