Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukrainian forces are preventing Russia from using occupied territories as a tool to prolong the war and entrench its occupation.
“In the south of our country, in Crimea, as well as in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, we are not allowing Russia to use our land as a means of prolonging the war and turning the occupation into something permanent,” Zelensky said.
The president specifically emphasized the importance of Ukraine’s operation targeting occupied Crimea.
“Our operation regarding Crimea, in particular, has been carefully calculated,” the head of state noted, adding that recent developments have confirmed the correctness of Ukraine’s chosen approach.
According to Zelensky, Ukraine also discussed additional measures with its partners within the framework of the G7, the implementation of which depends on international support.
“If Ukraine receives what we discussed with our partners during the G7 meetings—and this depends on the decisions of our partners—we will quickly create the conditions under which Russia will be forced to choose peace,” the president said.
He added that Ukraine expects a positive response from its allies and stressed that partners clearly understand the specific needs being raised by the Ukrainian side.
Zelensky also said he has instructed Ukraine’s intelligence services and Defense Forces to carry out preemptive strikes against facilities that Russia uses to sustain and expand its war effort against Ukraine.
“I have instructed our intelligence services and military to act preemptively against the facilities that the Russians use to escalate and expand the war,” Zelenskyy said in his evening address.
According to the president, the Russian leadership is concentrating air defense systems around Moscow, Valdai, and the Kerch Bridge, weakening protection in other parts of the country. He said that hundreds of launchers from S-400, S-500, and Pantsir air defense systems have been redeployed to the Moscow region.
Zelensky also stated that nearly 90 air defense launchers have been transferred to the Valdai area from other Russian regions and that a separate air defense division is being formed to protect the country’s leadership.
In addition, citing intelligence data, the president said that more than 60 Russian regions are experiencing fuel shortages, while gasoline and diesel prices continue to rise.
Russian security services are allegedly considering postponing or canceling the September vote to elect deputies from the United Russia party to the State Duma due to internal challenges and uncertainty about how the situation in the country may develop.
The president stressed that Russia’s domestic problems are a direct consequence of the Russian leadership’s refusal to end the war and engage in genuine peace negotiations.
