TRIBUNNEWS.COM – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia’s 31 battalion tactical groups were no longer capable of fighting.
“Russian troops suffered heavy losses,” he said in a speech Saturday (12/3/2022) afternoon local time, citing The Guardian.
“We can even now talk about the biggest blow to Russian troops in decades.”
Zelensky urged Russia to conclude a ceasefire, to allow evacuations to resume in the port city of Mariupol.
The president also demanded the immediate release of Ivan Fedorov, mayor of the southern Ukrainian city of Melitopol, who Ukraine says was kidnapped by Russian troops.
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Zelensky said he is constantly talking to Ukraine’s international partners about the situation with the mayor of Melitopol.
“We appeal to all the world leaders who speak to Moscow – France, Germany, Israel and others.”
Earlier, more than 2,000 took to the streets in protest in front of the town hall in the city of Melitopol following the alleged arrest of Mayor Ivan Fedorov by Russian troops.
Ukrainian authorities accuse Russia of violating international law by kidnapping the mayor of Melitopol, a city under Russian control.
Update on the 17th Day of the Russian Invasion
