New Delhi: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that foreign fighters had arrived in Ukraine “to help defend the country” against what Russia calls “special military operations” in the neighbouring country.
Zelensky, however, did not clarify where the fighters had come from.
In a Facebook post Thursday, Zelensky said, “Ukraine is already greeting foreign volunteers. (The) first 16,000 are already on their way to protect freedom and life for us, and for all.”
The Ukrainian government has called for forces and arms from across the world to enforce its defence against Russia. Several western governments have said they will not send men, but will help with weapons, aid and sanctions, the CNN reported.
Zelensky thanked allies for sending arms, saying, Ukraine receives “ammunition daily from our partners, from true friends. Every day we have more and more powerful weapons”.
Zelensky said Ukraine would be rebuilt. “We will restore every house, every street, every city… Russia will reimburse us for everything,” he said, adding, “We have nothing to lose but our own freedom.”
Meanwhile, NATO told CNN that Russia was “changing strategy… They are less focussed on encircling cities, more concentrated trying to go in… bombardment is a side effect of that shift,” an official said.
He also warned that “the situation on the ground could change rapidly and expectations should be managed”, adding, “The Ukrainians will tire while Russia still has fresh reserves… Russia can still escalate further.”
Ukraine admitted Wednesday evening that the city centre of Kherson, an important port city in the south, had been swamped with Russian troops. Mayor Igor Kolykhayev said Russian troops had entered the main council building.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko has said the situation in the capital city was “difficult but under control”. Loud explosions were heard in the city last night, which Klitschko described as Ukrainian air defences bringing down Russian missiles.
Meanwhile, the southern city of Mariupol came under heavy fire Thursday. Mayor Vadym Boichenko said the Russian military was creating a “humanitarian catastrophe” in the city.
In a post on his Telegram account Thursday, the mayor said supply and repair of electricity, water and heat had been blocked. “They have damaged railways… destroyed bridges and trains so that we can’t evacuate women, children and the elderly out of Mariupol.”
CNN quoted Boichenko as saying: “We are being destroyed as a nation. This is the genocide of the Ukrainian people. These hypocrites came to ‘save’ Russian-speaking citizens of Mariupol and the region… But they arranged the extermination of Ukrainians.”
Attacks continued on Kharkiv and other areas Thursday. New satellite images have shown the scale of destruction in regions around capital Kyiv.
Russia has said nearly 500 of its soldiers have been killed.
United Nations estimates that more than one million people have fled Ukraine. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a tweet: “In just seven days we have witnessed the exodus of one million refugees from Ukraine to neighbouring countries… For many millions more, inside Ukraine, it’s time for guns to fall silent, so that life-saving humanitarian assistance can be provided.”
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