On the day Ukraine celebrates 31 years of independence from Soviet rule, President Volodymyr Zelensky said an attack on a train station in the Dnipropetrovsk region (southeast of the country) left at least 22 people dead and 50 injured.
Kiev had been warning for days about a possible intensification of Russian bombing during the festive date, which coincided with the six months since the beginning of the war.
At a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday (24), Zelensky said that Russian forces fired missiles at the Tchapline station, about 145 kilometers from Donetsk (a city controlled by pro-Moscow separatists). “Four passenger cars are on fire. Employees are working, but unfortunately the number of casualties could still rise,” he said.
On Tuesday (22), Zelensky had anticipated the risk of a “brutal attack” and other provocations during Independence Day, a holiday that took on new meaning in the face of the Russian invasion in February.
Fearing that residents would be exposed to further missile attacks fired by Vladimir Putin’s country, the Ukrainian government banned public events, leaving the streets of the capital Kiev less crowded than they usually are during festivities – which are marked by a militar parade.
By the end of the day (afternoon, in Brazil) no attacks had been recorded, although bomb blast sirens had sounded in Kiev and elsewhere. Despite the warnings, some people gathered in the center of the capital, where carcasses of Russian tanks captured in combat were displayed. Khrescchatik, the city’s main street, has been transformed into an open-air military museum to celebrate a holiday inseparable from war.
“Probably nobody has done as much to unite Ukraine as Putin,” Ukrainian Yevhen Palamartchuk, 38, told Reuters. “We have always had some internal tensions in the country, but since 2014, and especially since February, we are more united than ever,” he added.
The tone of the statement is similar to what Zelensky used in his Independence Day speech. Speaking in front of Kiev’s central monument, the president said the country was reborn when it was invaded by Russia, adding that he would resist the invasion until the end, without making concessions or compromises that might go against Ukraine’s interests.
“A new nation emerged on February 24 at 4 am. It was not born, but was reborn. A nation that did not cry, did not scream, did not panic. It did not run away. It did not give up. And it did not forget,” the president said in a video. , adopting the boastful tone that marks his speeches in the context of the conflict with Russia.
Zelensky also repeated his statement this week that he would take back Crimea — annexed by Moscow in 2014 — at any cost, as well as the eastern areas that were occupied by Putin’s troops. According to him, Ukraine no longer sees the war ending when there is peace, but when it is, in fact, victorious.
“The occupier believed that in a few days he would be parading in the center of our capital. Today, you can see this parade in Khrescchatik. Proof that enemy equipment can appear in the center of Kiev only in this way. Burnt, in ruins and destroyed “, he added.
In his speech, the Ukrainian leader also quoted UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson as saying that even though he speaks English, he is more understandable and closer to Kiev than the “murderers, rapists and looters” who commit these crimes in Russian.
Boris — who announced his resignation earlier this month — made another surprise trip to Ukraine, where he met with Zelensky and announced a $63.5 million military package, including 2,000 drones and munitions. .
The prime minister, whom Zelensky described as his “dear friend Boris”, said it was vital for Europe to maintain its military and economic support for Ukraine, even as rising energy and food prices impact consumers across the continent.
“To all our friends, I simply say this, we must continue. We must show as friends of Ukraine that we have the same strategic resistance as the people of Ukraine,” he said.
Despite the attack on the train station during the date that brought together the celebration of independence and the anniversary of the war, Putin did not try “something particularly ugly”, as Zelensky predicted, nor did he start the trial of Ukrainian soldiers captured during the seizure of Mariupol – which it was also being trumpeted as an act of heightening tensions.
Today is not just a celebration of the past, but a resounding affirmation that Ukraine proudly remains — and will continue to be — a sovereign and independent nation.
This August 24th was supposed to be a day of celebration, joy, pride. It’s a proud day. But instead of all legitimate parties, it’s the dead and the fighters that we think about today. The courage, the resilience of your people
Today would normally be filled with merry concerts, picnics and parades, held under a blue Ukrainian summer sky… Germany stands firmly on Ukraine’s side in this hour of danger — today and for as long as Ukraine needs our support
No matter how long it takes, the UK will remain with Ukraine and provide all possible military, economic and humanitarian support.
Russia’s war in Ukraine is Europe’s biggest security crisis since World War II. The Ukrainian Armed Forces and the entire Ukrainian people are showing tremendous courage and determination. And under the leadership of President Zelensky, you are an inspiration to the world. You can continue to count on the support of NATO
We can never match the sacrifices you are making every day. But we can — and we will — stand by your side…
Today is not a day to wish you a happy celebration of independence. Because you are suffering, you are fighting. And you are fighting to defend the motherland, fighting to defend our common European values ​​and principles. And that’s because your family members are members of our family. That’s why your future is our common future
