Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the newly liberated Izio in the northeastern region of Kharkiv on Wednesday, five days after the country’s forces recaptured the city.
Photos on a military unit’s Facebook page show Zelensky in a ceremony in the central square raising the Ukrainian flag over the city’s administration building. Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar was also present.
“In the past, when we looked up, we always looked for the blue sky. Today, when we look up, we look for only one thing – the flag of Ukraine,” Zelensky said in a post on the presidential Telegram channel.
“Our blue-and-yellow flag is already flying in the conquered Izium. And it will be like that in every city and village of Ukraine. We move in only one direction – forward and towards victory.
“I want to thank you for saving our people, our hearts, our children and our future,” Zelensky said, according to a statement posted on the presidential website.
“It has been extremely difficult for you these past few months. Therefore, I am asking you to take care of yourself, because you are the most valuable asset we have,” he said.
“It may be possible to temporarily occupy the territories of our state. But it is definitely impossible to understand our people, the Ukrainian people,” he said.
A minute’s silence was observed at the ceremony in memory of those who had been lost during military operations.
Ukrainian forces took control of Izium on Saturday, marking a huge strategic blow to Russia’s military offensive in the east.
The city, which is located near the border between Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, was under Russian occupation for more than five months and became an important hub for the invading army. Moscow was using Izium as a launch pad for attacks south into the Donetsk region, and Kupyansk, about 30 miles north of Izium, as a rail hub to resupply its forces.
Zelensky told reporters he was “shocked” by the number of “damaged buildings” and “killed people” left in the wake of the Russian occupation.
“Unfortunately, this is part of our history today. And that is part of the modern Russian nation – what they did,” he said.
He also thanked foreign governments that had sent investigators and prosecutors to investigate alleged human rights abuses by occupying forces in Ukraine, adding that all occupied territories would eventually be returned.
“We should send messages to our people who are unfortunately still under occupation. And my signal to the people in Crimea: we know that these are our people, and it is a terrible tragedy that they have been under occupation for more than eight years. We will be back there. I don’t know exactly when. But we have plans.”
In a sign that Kiev’s ongoing military offensive is working, Zelensky said on Tuesday that 8,000 square kilometers of territory had now been liberated from Ukrainian forces so far this month, with about half of the area still undergoing “stabilization” measures.
On Monday, the President said most of the territory retaken by Ukrainian forces since early September was concentrated in the northeastern and southern regions of the country.
