Ukrainian war is costing Russia its future and ties with free world, says Zelenskyy

War in Ukraine has cost Russia its future, and cultural ties with the free world, country’s President Volodymyr Zelesnkyy said as the conflict nears 100 days. Addressing his co-patriots on Sunday, he emphasised that by waging a war against his country, Putin's administration has jeopardised the cultural ties of the Russian Federation. Notably, the remarks came as European Union is set to hold a meeting to deliberate upon the sixth sanctions package on Kremlin. 

In his address, the embattled leader also revealed that one-third of Kharkiv was still under Russian occupation. But, he vowed to take back the northern city from the invaders. Russian troops have restarted shelling and assaulting Kharkiv, which is also the second-largest city in the country, after a fortnight of silence. 

“Russia has already lost not only the battle for Kharkiv, not only the battle for Kyiv and the north of our country. It lost its own future and any cultural ties to the free world. They all burned down. One-third of the Kharkiv region is still under occupation. We will definitely liberate the entire territory.”

Zelenskyy visits Kharkiv

Zelenskyy on Sunday said that he has fired Kharkiv’s top security services officer for not working hard enough for the defence of the city since Russia began its military offensive in late February. Zelenskyy made his first trip on May 29 to the war-ravaged eastern region of the country since February 24, when Moscow announced the ‘special’ military operation in Ukraine. 

Following the visit, in his daily address, Zelenskyy announced that he had fired the northeastern city's security chief in a rare public rebuke. The Ukrainian President said, "I came, understood, and fired the head of the Security Service of Ukraine of the [Kharkiv] region for the fact that he did not work on the defence of the city from the first days of the full-scale war, but thought only about himself."

(Image: AP)