Russian troops have been raging in Ukraine for almost a year, leaving death and destruction in their wake. On the anniversary of the war, President Zelenskyy expects things to get even worse. The Russians should have successes to show for themselves. People die again in a rocket hit in Donetsk.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of an increase in attacks ahead of the anniversary of Russia's start of the war on February 24. In eastern Ukraine, the Russians aim to show achievements by that date, Zelenskyy said in a video message. "The situation is getting tougher," he said, praising the resistance of the Ukrainian armed forces.
On Wednesday evening it became known that a rocket hit a residential building in Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region in the east, killing and injuring people again. Zelenskyj condemned the attack. There are people under the rubble. "The only way to stop Russian terrorism is to defeat it. With tanks. Fighter jets. Long-range missiles," he wrote on Twitter.
Before an EU-Ukraine summit this Friday, Zelenskyy informed in his video message about the "successes" of the work of Ukrainian law enforcement agencies. For example, a police department that is said to have covered a prostitute ring was caught. There was violence against girls, said Selenskyj. There are first arrests. According to the authorities, the officials are said to have collected one million euros in "protection money" every month.
Selenskyj had recently announced that he would take action against corruption, abuse of office and other criminal behavior in the civil service. He said senior officials in the Customs Service had been fired. In addition, the SBU secret service, investigators and prosecutors have carried out dozens of raids in different regions of the country to collect evidence for criminal proceedings. "Justice will be established."
The EU Commission is also calling for further efforts in the fight against criminal abuse of power. Before next year's presidential election, Zelenskyy is likely to want to limit the damage for himself, because after almost four years in power, many voters still believe that too little has happened in this field. However, Transparency International acknowledged the country's successes in recent years in its annual corruption index.
