Zelensky Makes Another Epic Power Move
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Monday that he has granted trained prisoners full pardons in return for their service. Zelensky went on to explain that he would be sending the prisoners to the front lines in the worst areas where they will literally be fighting for their lives and freedom.
Zelensky shared the remarks during an address that called on “everyone” who could join “in the struggle for our state” to do so.
“Ukrainians with real combat experience will be released from custody and will be able to compensate for their guilt in the hottest spots,” Zelensky said, according to The Kyiv Independent.
“All sanctions against some individuals who participated in the Anti-Terrorist Operation will be lifted. The key thing now is defense,” he added.
“In every conversation with our partners I hear sincere respect. Ukraine has shown the world who we are, and Russia has shown what it has become,” he said. “Every crime, every shelling that the invaders commit against us unites us and our partners even more. Russia did not expect such a solid and powerful response, but the Ukrainians changed that story.”
“Europeans are aware that our soldiers are fighting for our country, and, consequently, for the whole of Europe,” Ukraine’s president added.
Zelenksy has also called on Russian troops to stop fighting and abandon their equipment in defiance of Putin’s invasion.
“Abandon your equipment. Get out of here. Don’t believe your commanders. Don’t believe your propagandists. Just save your lives,” he said.
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President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine urged the EU to grant his country immediate membership of the bloc.
He also had a message for Russian troops in Ukraine: “Abandon your military equipment and leave,” he said. “Save your lives. Leave.”https://t.co/JGBMQM762D pic.twitter.com/yZI2TmjuGw
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 28, 2022
Russian forces Wednesday continued their deadly assault in key Ukrainian areas, prompting some local leaders to warn that their cities were near the breaking point, according to WaPo.
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New analysis of satellite imagery shows the extent of the devastation wrought by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with bridges and roads damaged and homes destroyed in towns and cities across the country, including on the western reaches of the capital, Kyiv.
“The invasion’s impact on Ukrainians was clearly evident with visual examples of damaged and destroyed homes, residential areas, buildings and factories,” according to the U.S. firm Maxar Technologies, which on Wednesday published a review of additional photos captured Monday, local time.
