The toll of deaths due to the Russian missile strike has killed 22 civilians at a train station in eastern Ukraine, as per the officials in Kyiv. Attacks were also carried out to the north of Kyiv as Ukraine has marked its Independence Day.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has alerted that Russia might do something “repugnant” before the 31st anniversary of Ukraine gaining independence from the Soviet Union. As a result, national celebrations were cancelled.
In a video address to the UNSC, President Zelenskyy said that rockets had hit Chaplyne, a small town some 145 kilometres west of Russian-occupied Donetsk in the east of Ukraine. While stressing that Ukraine would hold Russia to account for its actions, President Zelenskyy said, “Chaplyne is our pain today. As of right now, there are 22 dead.”
Independence Day celebrations are normally festive affairs, with the country’s blue and yellow banners raised above crowds. But this year’s event was much more sombre. Officials visited memorials, and the missile strike was a grim end to the day.
President of Ukraine, Zelenskyy, has marked the day with an emotional speech that described Russia’s invasion as a new independence day in which Ukraine has to fight for free, rather than only voting at the ballot box.
Zelenskyy said, “A new country emerged on February 24 at 4:00. Not born, but reborn. A country that didn’t cry, didn’t scream, didn’t get frightened. Didn’t give up. Didn’t give up. Didn’t forget.”
He further said that, “Every day is a new reason to not to give up. As we went through so much, we have no right not to reach the end. What’s the end of the war for us? We earlier used to say- Peace. But now we say- victory.”