Following massive Russian military attacks in the east of the country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on people to leave the Donetsk area. “In the Donbass there are hundreds of thousands of people, tens of thousands of children, many refuse to leave,” Zelenskyy said in his evening video address on Saturday. However, he urged the people of Donbass to reconsider their position.
“Believe me,” he said pleadingly. “The more people leave the Donetsk region, the fewer people the Russian army can kill.” Earlier, the Ukrainian government had ordered a mandatory evacuation on the grounds that civilians had to get to safety in time for the start of the heating season because of the war-ravaged gas pipelines in the Donetsk region. Zelenskyj now stressed that everything is being organized to allow people to flee from areas of the region still controlled by Ukraine.
The 44-year-old head of state again described Russia as a “terror state” and called on the international community to isolate the country. If Russia were classified as a “terrorist state” by the US, all partners would sever ties with the country. The president again strongly condemned the killing of Ukrainian prisoners of war at a detention center in Olenivka, Donetsk region. According to Russian information, 50 prisoners were killed there on Friday by a rocket attack by the Ukrainian side. Ukraine, in turn, accuses Russia of deliberately killing the soldiers. The information was not independently verifiable.
“This is a mass murder,” Zelenskyj said in his video message. The sooner Russia is classified as a “terrorist state”, the faster the world will be protected from “evil”. This is the only way to cut all ties with the country, he stressed. Political gestures were not enough to condemn the war crime. Action must follow.
Red Cross calls for access to attacked prison
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, access to the prison in Olenivka was requested. They wanted to “determine the health and condition of everyone present at the time of the attack.” The Red Cross is offering help to evacuate the injured and medical supplies, a statement said on Saturday.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
