On Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged further retribution against Russia and signed a law banning the Moscow branch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, as Ukraine marked its third Independence Day since the Russian invasion.
In a video filmed near the border, Zelensky stood in a hilly area close to where Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region earlier this month. He declared that Russia’s attempts to destroy Ukraine have failed, celebrating the nation’s 33rd Independence Day instead.
Zelensky also took a direct swipe at Russian President Vladimir Putin, labeling him as a “sick man from Red Square” who incessantly threatens nuclear war. The Ukrainian leader promised that Russia “will know what retribution is.”
Later, during official celebrations in Kyiv’s Sofia Square, Zelensky was joined by Polish President Andrzej Duda and Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte. He announced successful tests of a new drone missile, the Palianytsia, claiming that the “enemy was defeated.”
Additionally, Zelensky signed a bill providing full support for Ukrainian soldiers operating within Russia.
Despite Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk rattling Moscow, Russia’s advance in eastern Ukraine continues, with Kyiv evacuating some residents from Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region due to fears of an impending Russian takeover.
