Zelensky praises the strength of his own army

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Training of Ukrainian drone pilots: "Stronger than we thought of ourselves"

Photo: ALINA SMUTKO / REUTERS

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has highlighted the strength of his own armed forces in the fight against the Russian invasion. "Ukraine and the Ukrainians are much stronger than anyone expects us to be, sometimes stronger than we thought we would," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video message on Friday. According to him, the country has shown the strength of Ukraine to the whole world in the fight against the Russian invaders.

In his speech, Zelensky recalled the recapture of Snake Island in the Black Sea a year ago. "That was one of our most important victories." Thus, control was regained not only over the island, but also over a significant part of the Black Sea. "The Russian terrorists needed Snake Island to destroy the whole south of the country, our beautiful Odessa and other cities." They did not succeed.

Once again, Zelensky paid tribute to the various units of the Ukrainian armed forces and named a large number of fighters who had given their lives for Ukraine's victory. Zelensky again said that Ukraine was moving forward with its counteroffensive. "We have made progress in all directions with our active actions."

Strengthening artillery in the south and east is "obviously a priority," Zelensky said. In his speech, he also thanked Denmark for a new defense package, including artillery, anti-aircraft missiles and mine clearance equipment.

Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian invasion with Western help for more than 16 months.

Zelensky orders reinforcement of border with Belarus

In response to a possible exile of the Russian mercenary group Wagner in Belarus, the Ukrainian president has the border with the neighboring country strengthened. Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhny and General Sergei Nayev have been instructed to strengthen security on the northern border in order to "ensure peace," Zelensky said on Friday on the Telegram online service. He referred to information from his intelligence services and the border guards on the situation in Belarus.

After the brief uprising of his fighters last weekend, Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin agreed to go into exile in Belarus through the mediation of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. His mercenaries were given the choice of either joining the Russian armed forces or also going into exile in Belarus.

Lukashenko said his own army could benefit from the combat experience of the Wagner troops. At the same time, however, he added that their military leeway in his country is limited.

The Polish government fears that the Wagner mercenaries who have fled to Belarus pose a threat not only directly to Ukraine. According to previous estimates, there are probably several thousand men who will accept the offer of the Belarusian government. There are concerns in Warsaw that they could destabilize Central and Eastern Europe or use migrants in Africa to trigger a refugee crisis. This is reported by the Financial Times, citing Jacek Siewiera , the head of the National Security Bureau in Poland. He currently assesses the capabilities of the mercenaries as follows: "They are more comparable to a terrorist militia than to a regular army. They have some people who have been tried and tested in many battles and who use tactics that are familiar from special forces."

The Wagner troupe was or is active in a large number of countries. These include Libya, Mali and the Central African Republic.

oka/dpa