Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that the capital Kyiv was still under Ukrainian control after Russia launched an invasion on Thursday.
“We have withstood and are successfully repelling enemy attacks. The fighting goes on,” he said in a video message posted on his social media.
“We already have almost full support from EU countries for disconnecting Russia from SWIFT. I hope that Germany and Hungary will have the courage to support this decision. We have the courage to defend our homeland, to defend Europe,” Zelensky added.
ZELENSKY: UKRAINE HAS ‘DERAILED’ RUSSIAN ATTACK PLAN
Zelensky said Ukraine’s force had halted the Kremlin’s push to capture Kyiv and oust him and urged Russians to pressure leader Vladimir Putin to stop the invasion.
“We’ve derailed their plan,” the 44-year-old leader said in a new video address.
He also thanked Russians who spoke out against the war and asked them to keep up the pressure on the Kremlin, saying: “Simply stop those who are lying to you, lying to us, lying to the entire world.”
MOSCOW WANTS TO TOPPLE ZELENSKY GOVERNMENT TO INSTALL ‘PUPPETS’
Zelensky says fighting against Russian forces was continuing Saturday afternoon “in many cities and areas.”
The Kremlin was looking to capture the centre of Kyiv and “install their puppets here,” he said during a five-minute video message.
So far, however, the capital and other strategically important cities remain under the control of the Ukrainian army, he said.
Zelensky also accused Russia of attacking residential areas. Moscow denies this, saying it is only going after military targets.
He also called on countries like Germany and Hungary to push for Russia’s exclusion from the international banking communications network SWIFT, which some experts say would have a major impact on the Russian economy.
