Russia-Ukraine war: Zelenskyy says 'will not lay down arms, will defend country'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that they will not lay down their arms and will keep defending their country as Russia continued its offensive against the nation. There were rumours that the president will depart from the country amid war but Zelenskyy refuted the rumours earlier today (February 26) in a message on Twitter stating that he is still here and will not go anywhere. The Ukrainian president said that they will not lay down their arms; rather, they will defend the country, their land and their children.

Earlier today, the President shared a video on Instagram stating that they have effectively resisted enemy attacks and the battle is on throughout different cities and districts. He further stated that however, they are aware of what they are defending, their country, their land, and their children's future. The Ukrainian President said that their army has control of Kyiv and other significant cities in the region and accused Russia of attempting to overthrow him and build a puppet state in Ukraine.

'Ukrainians have been fighting Russian soldiers'

Zelenskyy further stated that Ukrainians have been fighting Russian soldiers in a number of locations, including Odessa in the south, Kharkiv in the north, and Kyiv. He added that airstrikes have been launched against Lviv, as well as other cities in western and central Ukraine. The Ukrainian president informed that Russians have used missiles, fighters, drones, artillery, armoured vehicles and airborne soldiers against Ukraine in residential areas.

Zelenskyy also urged Germany and Hungary to support the decision of cutting Russia off from the SWIFT banking system as retaliation for Moscow's invasion of his country. He said that disconnecting Russia from SWIFT has almost universal support among EU countries and he hopes Germany and Hungary have the strength to back this choice.

'Enemy's major objectives have not been accomplished'

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said that the Russian Federation's assault of their country's land is now on its third day. But the enemy's major objectives and attempts to succeed have not been accomplished as of yet. Yesterday, she claimed that the Russian army has suffered around 800 casualties. She said that more than 30 Russian tanks, as well as seven Russian planes and six helicopters, were destroyed.

(Image: @zelenskiy_official/Instagram)