One-fifth of Ukrainian territory is under Russian control, with the Donbas “almost completely destroyed,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said as he addressed Luxembourg parliamentarians.
“Today, about 20 percent of our territory is under the control of the occupants, almost 125,000 square kilometers.
“This is much larger than the area of all the Benelux countries combined,” Zelenskyy told the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies via a video link.
The first 100 days of the Ukrainian war in 100 images
Zelenskyy also said that fighting continues along the first line that stretches along “more than a thousand kilometers” along the territories of the Kharkiv region to Mykolaiv, in the south of the country.
He added that Ukraine’s Donbas region is “simply devastated” and described it as “once one of the most powerful industrial centers in Europe”.
And he said that if Russia prevails in its war in Ukraine “then the dark times will come for everyone” in Europe.
“If we win this war, all Europeans will be able to continue to enjoy their freedom,” Zelenskyy said.
“But if this person who wants to destroy any freedom in Ukraine and Europe prevails, dark times will come for everyone on the continent,” he added, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky said more than 30,000 Russian soldiers had been killed since the war began more than three months ago. These numbers cannot be verified.
“This is more than the death toll of the Soviet Union in 10 years of war in Afghanistan, it is higher than the death toll of Russia in two Chechen wars,” Zelenskyy said.
In his statements to MPs, the Ukrainian president urged additional sanctions on Russia, calling for more weapons to support Ukraine’s front-line struggle.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army has carried out a series of counterattacks in the eastern city of Severodonetsk, but Russian forces still control “most” of the city, said Serhiy Hayday, head of the Luhansk regional military administration. .
A Ukrainian soldier patrols the front line in the east of the country while Russia intensifies its attacks. (AP)
Severodonetsk is one of the last remaining strongholds of Ukraine in Luhansk.
About 800 people are hiding in various Soviet-era anti-aircraft shelters under the Azot chemical plant in Severodonetsk, which has been the target of Russian missile attacks, Hayday said.
– He told CNN, Associated Press