During this surprise visit, the Ukrainian President thanked the combatants who reconquered the Kharkiv region, inflicting one of the main setbacks on Russia since the start of the conflict.
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Three days after the reconquest of the city at the end of a dazzling counter-offensive, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, went on Wednesday, September 14, to Izioum. The hand on the heart by singing the Ukrainian national anthem, he attended the raising of the flag on the calcined building of the town hall. “I want to thank you,” Zelensky told soldiers who released Izioum and the Kharkiv region after six months of Russian military occupation, to have saved our people, our hearts, our children and our future. “
This is the fifth visit outside the kyiv of the Ukrainian President, who communicates mainly with his fellow citizens, since the start of the war on February 24, by a video message posted each evening on social networks. After Boutcha (April 4), to mark the five weeks of fierce resistance from the Ukrainian capital and honor the victims of war crimes perpetrated by the Russian army in the occupied suburbs, after Kharkiv (May 29), where a counter-offensive Ukrainian recorded of first limited successes, after the fronts of the Donbass of Lyssytchansk and Soledar (June 5), at one of the harshest moments of the conflict, as well as to Zaporijia to visit the refugees of Marioupol conquered, after Odessa and Mykolaïv (June 18), in this South so strategic for Ukraine, Wednesday’s visit to Kharkiv and Izioum is of another nature: it marks the first brilliant military victory of the Ukrainian army.
In six days, from September 6 to 11, the Russian army was in decimated places, and others had to flee in the precipitation. For Moscow, it is a new, bitter failure after his defeat around kyiv and his inability to overthrow Mr. Zelensky and his government, as well as his initial setbacks around Kharkiv, but with moreover, this time, a wind of Panic that allowed Ukrainian forces to conquer thousands of square kilometers, to kill or take prisoners at least hundreds of Russian soldiers, and to capture tanks and armored vehicles, anti-aircraft defense cannons, systems of Radio-electronic war, as well as shells and ammunition in large quantities. A wind of panic as this time he had an echo to Moscow, including on public television channels which are however closely controlled.
“The Ukrainian flag will return everywhere in the country”
The visit of Volodymyr Zelensky, in the company of General Oleksandr Syrsky who, after organizing kyiv’s defense, was the prime contractor of this flash counter-offensive, was first intended to honor the Ukrainian fighters. The latter pay an even higher price than civilians in the face of Russian aggression, with hundreds of losses per day during the worst episodes of war. After having quoted each regiment engaged in the battle and honored the soldiers who died in fire, Mr. Zelensky said: “We are only advancing in one direction, towards the victory!”
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