(Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he met soldiers in the frontline southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, as Russia steps up pressure on what had been a relatively calm part of the battlefield.
A video shared on social media on Thursday showed him meeting camouflaged troops and presenting medals in dark trenches in a wooded area, with a HIMARS artillery system visible in the background.
“May the HIMARS always perform flawlessly and hit the enemy targets,” Zelenskiy said in the video. He said he was meeting members of the 27th rocket artillery brigade. The video did not give a precise location or say when the meeting happened.
As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine approaches its third anniversary, Moscow’s troops are increasing pressure all along the 1,000-km (600-mile) front.
Southern and southeastern parts have been coming under increasing fire in recent weeks as Russia’s military step up attacks on the border of Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions.
The Russian military has been advancing in Ukraine’s east at its fastest rate since the early months of the war, analysts say.
Kyiv is asking allies for more help to put it in the strongest battlefield position if any negotiations take place. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who is due to return to the White house in January, has been calling for a ceasefire and a swift end to the war.
(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Alex Richardson and Andrew Heavens)
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