As invading Russian forces stormed toward Ukraine’s capital Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sought to dispel rumours that he had called upon the army to lay down arms. “This is our land, our country, our children. And we will defend all of that,” he said in a short video.
After Ukrainian forces said they had repulsed a Russian attack on their capital, Zelensky has posted a self-shot video of himself on Twitter walking around the streets of Kyiv in an apparent effort to combat rumours that he has called on the army to surrender to Russian troops.
“I am here. We will not lay down any weapons. We will defend our state because our weapons are our truth,” he declared, denouncing as disinformation claims that he had surrendered or fled.
“A lot of fake information has appeared on the internet saying that I allegedly called on our army to lay down its arms and that evacuation is underway,” he said outside his office.
Wearing olive green military-style clothing and looking tired but determined, he declared: “Our truth is that this is our land, our country, our children and we will protect all of this.
“This is what I wanted to tell you. Glory to Ukraine!”
As the video hit social media platforms, the sounds of explosions and air raid sirens could still be heard around the capital, as the Russian military declared it had fired air- and sea-based cruise missiles at Ukrainian military targets.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military has published what they claim is a breakout of Russia’s losses.
According to a post on its Facebook page, more than 3,500 Russian soldiers involved in the invasion have been killed and almost 200 taken prisoner.
They add that Russia has also lost 14 aircraft, 8 helicopters, and 102 tanks so far.
Russia has so far not acknowledged any casualties.
Russia’s defence ministry has confirmed they have captured the city of Melitopol – in what has been described by news wire Reuters as the first significant population centre to be taken over since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine began on Thursday.
Melitopol is a mid-size city located near the key Ukrainian port of Mariupol, in Ukraine’s southern region of Zaporizhzhya.
An estimated 150,000 Ukrainians live in Melitopol.