Zelensky’s secret mission to honour his war heroes
PRESIDENT Volodymyr Zelensky has tweaked Vladimir Putin’s nose with a secret mission to hand out bravery medals to Ukrainian troops.
The courageous leader put himself within easy range of Russian artillery when he visited his men in the embattled Donbas region on Sunday.
In scenes that will enrage the Kremlin strongman, Mr Zelensky was filmed rousing his loyal troops with a stirring speech just a few hundred yards from Russian soldiers who were unaware of his presence.
He told them: ‘I want to thank you for your great work, for your service, for protecting all of us, our state. I am grateful to everyone. Take care of yourselves.’
Shortly afterwards, the area was shelled by the Russians, underlying the lethal risk taken by the Ukrainian president.
Mr Zelensky was filmed meeting with his men inside bunkers in Lysychansk – close to the besieged city of Severodonetsk – and nearby Bakhmut, shaking hands with soldiers and speaking with commanders.
Ukrainian forces launched a surprise counter-attack in Severodonetsk at the weekend and pushed back Russian troops who had appeared on the verge of seizing it. Regional governor Serhiy Haidai said yesterday the number of shellings in Severodonetsk and Lysychansk had ‘increased tenfold’.
It is not Mr Zelensky’s first war visit out of capital Kyiv. He visited Kharkiv last month while fighting was ongoing north of the city – but the latest excursion took him closer to the front line than ever before.