On Saturday, July 8, 2023, Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy marked the 500th day of the ongoing war with Russia.
In a video from a Black Sea island that became the symbol of Ukraine’s resilience in the face of the Russian invasion, Zelenskyy praised his soldiers.
Zelenskyy honored the Ukrainian soldiers who fought for the island and all other defenders of the country, saying that reclaiming control of the island “is a great proof that Ukraine will regain every bit of its territory.”
“I want to thank — from here, from this place of victory — each of our soldiers for these 500 days,” Zelenskyy said. “Thank you to everyone who fights for Ukraine!” he added.
“Let the freedom that all our heroes of different times wanted for Ukraine and that must be won right now be a tribute to all those who gave their lives for Ukraine. We will definitely win!”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
It was unclear when the video was filmed. Zelenskyy was returning from a trip to Turkey on Saturday. He met with Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his trip.
In a tweet, European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen noted that the bloc will stand with Ukraine “for as long it takes”
“500 days of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” the tweet read.
“500 days of brave Ukrainian resistance. 500 days of steadfast European support for Ukraine. We will stand by Ukraine as long as it takes,” she added.
In a statement marking the 500th day of the invasion, Noel Calhoun, the Deputy head of The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU), said, “Today we mark another grim milestone in the war that continues to exact a horrific toll on Ukraine’s civilians.”
The HRMMU noted that it “deplored the horrendous civilian cost of the war in Ukraine” and was able to confirm that 9,000 civilians had been killed so far in the conflict.
The mission warned that the actual toll is likely to be far higher than the number of officially confirmed deaths.
Zelenskyy Announces Return Of Azovstal Leaders
Also on Saturday, The Ukrainian President announced that five Commanders of the defense of the Azovstal steel plant, a grueling months-long siege early in the war, were returning on the plane with him.
The five commanders of Ukraine’s former garrison in Mariupol were forced to live in Turkey under the terms of a prisoner exchange last year.
Under the exchange, the leaders were to remain in Turkey until the end of the war under the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s protection.
“We are returning home from Turkey and bringing our heroes home,” Zelenskyy said on the Telegram messaging app after talks with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
“Ukrainian soldiers; Denys Prokopenko, Svyatoslav Palamar, Serhiy Volynsky, Oleh Khomenko, Denys Shleha. They will finally be with their relatives,” Zelenskyy added.
Zelenskyy posted a one-minute video showing himself and other officials shaking hands and hugging the smiling commanders before they boarded a Czech airplane together.
There was no immediate official explanation from Ankara or Kyiv about why they were allowed to return to Ukraine.
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