Zelenskiy hails downing of Russian jets, wows victory in war
- 25 December, 03:14
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has praised the country’s armed forces and pledged to win a victory in the ongoing war with Russia. Zelenskiy made the remarks on December 25, a few days after Ukrainian armed forces downed three Russian fighter jets.
“The stronger our air defence, the fewer Russian devils will be in our skies and on our land,” Zelenskiy said in an address to the nation on the occasion of Christmas on December 25.
He further highlighted his country’s “capabilities in negotiations with partners, capabilities in bolstering our sky shield, capabilities in defending our homeland from Russian terrorists”.
Zelenskiy’s upbeat statement came amid Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu’s claim that his country’s army had taken control of the strategic town of Marinka in the west of the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk. In an address on Monday, Shoigu said the capture of Marinka enables Russian troops to more effectively protect Donetsk from attacks``. Ukraine refuted the Russian Defence Ministry’s claims, with Kyiv reporting that its troops repelled unsuccessful attacks near the city.
Ukraine celebrated Christmas for the first time on December 25. Zelenskiy signed a decree in July moving the official holiday to December 25 from January 7.
