Volodymyr Zelensky has told his countrymen to be proud to have survived the invasion for 50 days when the Russians “gave us a maximum of five”.
In his nightly video address to the nation, the Ukrainian president recalled how world leaders doubted Ukraine’s ability to withstand Russia and advised him to leave the country.
“They didn’t know how brave Ukrainians are, how much we value freedom and the possibility to live the way we want.”
Mr Zelensky also hailed Ukrainians who “showed that Russian warships can sail away, even if it’s to the bottom”, an oblique reference to the sinking on Thursday of Moscow’s flagship missile cruiser Moskva.
Russia’s defence ministry claims the Soviet-era ship was damaged by an explosion while being towed during stormy weather, but a Ukrainian official said two of its missiles had hit the boat, which carries 16 missiles of its own. Its removal from combat would greatly reduce Russia’s firepower in the Black Sea.
