Kyiv: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday reported the death of 22 people in a deadly attack on a railway station on the country’s Independence Day, saying Ukraine would fight to the last. Zelensky said ‘we don’t care how many armies you have, we only care about our land. We will fight for it till the end. While the US has warned that Russia is preparing to hold a plebiscite in the occupied territories of Ukraine. This will try to formalize the control of Russia.
Zelensky said 22 people were killed in a Russian missile attack on the Chaplino station in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, news agency AFP reported. Whereas earlier he had said that 15 people died and 50 others were injured in this attack. He said ‘Chaplino is our pain today. At present, 22 people have died, including five people who got burnt in a car. One child died, he was 11 years old. A Russian rocket destroyed his house.
Significantly, on 24 August 1991, Ukraine gained its independence from the Soviet Union. Earlier, Zelensky warned that Russia could launch a particularly brutal attack on Ukraine’s Independence Day. He asked the people of Ukraine to be prepared for this. While the US National Security Coordinator John Kirby claimed that Russia had instructed officials to begin preparations for a sham referendum. Such a Russian announcement may come out before the end of this week.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a surprise visit to Ukraine’s capital Kyiv. Johnson commended Ukraine for its six months of relentless resistance to Russian attacks. He said that Ukraine is defending its right to live in peace, and freedom, and therefore Ukraine will win.
