Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says at least 137 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians have been killed since the Russian invasion began.
Zelensky added that 316 soldiers have also been wounded in the attack.
Addressing the nation on Friday, the Ukrainian president praised the citizens for their heroism in fighting back.
He said Russia had made him and his family their first and second targets, adding that he would not leave the country because he and his family are not traitors.
He described Russia’s claim that its troops are not targeting civilian areas as “a lie”, saying both military and civilians are being hit.
“They’re killing people and turning peaceful cities into military targets. It’s foul and will never be forgiven,” Zelenskyy said.
“I remain in Ukraine, my family is in Ukraine, my children are in Ukraine. My family is not traitor, they are citizens of Ukraine.
“According to the available intelligence. the enemy marked me as target number 1, my family as target number 2. They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state.
“They say civilians are not their target but this is another of their lies. In reality, they do not distinguish between areas in which they operate. Our boys and girls — all defenders of Ukraine did not allow the enemy to implement the operational plan of invasion on the first day. Ukrainians show real heroism. The enemy was stopped in most directions.
“To the citizens of the Russian federation that are coming out to protest, we see you. And this means that you have heard us. This means that you have started to believe us. Fight for us, fight against war.”
He also lamented that “everyone” is afraid to fight for them and that the country has been “neglected”.
“Today, I have asked 27 European leaders whether Ukraine will be in NATO. I have asked directly. Everyone is afraid, no one answers,” he said.
“But we are not afraid. We are not afraid of anything. We are not afraid to defend our country; we are not afraid of Russia. We are not afraid to talk about security guarantees for our country, we are not afraid of talking about neutrality, we are not NATO members at the moment but what guarantees will we get?
“And most importantly, which countries will give us those guarantees?”
As the Russian troops continued their offensive, explosions were reportedly heard in Kyiv, the country’s capital, early on Friday.
On Thursday, the Ukrainian military said it destroyed four Russian tanks near the eastern city of Kharkiv, killed 50 enemy troops, and shot down five Russian planes and a helicopter around the Luhansk region. CONTINUE READING
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