Zelenskyy avers final stage of war will be 'bloodiest' but Ukraine to gain independence

While addressing Ukrainian university students on Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he cannot yet call citizens back home from abroad due to fears of the final stage of the war, which will be “the most difficult and the bloodiest.” His remarks came as the battle for Kyiv’s sovereignty continued for the 86th day on Friday, with “the invaders” continuing to shell the eastern region of Donbas. Meanwhile, separately addressing his compatriots, the embattled leader stressed that the enemy forces have turned Donbass-once industrial hub of Ukraine-into “hell.”   

He said, "The final stage is the most difficult, the bloodiest, it really is. We can't disengage ourselves and say, ‘that's it, the war is over." I will tell you frankly that in Kyiv, since the end of the occupation of Kyiv Oblast, there is the feeling, that’s it, there is no war. Until the moment when the missiles don't fly."

'We will gain independence'

Russian Czar Vladimir Putin has been trying to salvage the war by increasing the intensity of attacks in certain parts of Ukraine-mainly in the south and east. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy lauded Ukrainian resistance and said that even during a full-scale war, “our institutions did not break down. Banking sphere works. The budget system and public administration have endured. Defence and logistics are ensured despite the fact that the enemy in some respects has more forces and equipment. Furthermore, he expressed confidence that his country will “gain independence” sooner or later.   

"Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine has been going on for three months already. After 8 years of war in Donbas. This war for us now is undoubtedly a war for independence. We can say that this is a postponed war. Postponed for 30 years, given how we gained independence in 1991. Or for hundreds of years, given the previous history of our great state," he said, adding, "I have no doubt that we will gain independence". 

He also highlighted, "Now, for example, you can see how the world evaluates our potential in a fundamentally different way. Perhaps you have seen how two Forbes articles are compared, very interestingly: the headline of February 12 - will Russia invade Ukraine; and the headline of May 16 - will Ukraine’s army invade Russia. That is, the world began to look differently at the situation in our region and the balance of power."

(Image: president.gov.ua)