Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Vladimir Putin “knows exactly what he’s doing”, as his country continues to resist illegal Russian aggression. Speaking from the Netherlands, where he is to receive the International Four Freedoms Award on Thursday, the Ukrainian president described the moment of the invasion of his country in February 2022 as “unprecedented”.
But, five years on from the conflict, Mr Zelensky argued today that it was “certainly not unprecedented”. He added, “(Vladimir) Putin knows exactly what he’s doing. Absolutely.” The Russian president has “expansionist ambitions”, he added, and has taken Russia’s war views “to Syria and Africa”.
Mr Zelensky said: “This is truly a global threat.”
The Ukrainian’s speech came after another night of terror across Ukraine, after parts of the country were devastated by Russian attacks overnight.
Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said four people, including a 12-year-old child, were killed in the Ukrainian capital, and 45 others were injured.
The country’s authorities have claimed that a total of 13 people lost their lives between 15 and 16 April due to Russian attacks across Ukraine.
