Russia-Ukraine war: Zelenskyy visits troops in Avdiivka

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Ukrainian forces in Avdiivka in the east. During his visit, Zelenskyy thanked the troops and was briefed on the situation on the ground.

On Tuesday, Zelenskyy visited troops in the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka, where he thanked them for their service and received a briefing from commanders on the situation on the ground. Zelenskyy’s visit to the eastern city comes at a time when Russian forces have targeted Avdiivka during its winter offensive. Russia’s winter offensive was an attempt to revive its invasion of Ukraine since February last year but has suffered significant territorial losses since then.

“I have the honor to be here today, to thank you for your service, for defending our land, Ukraine, our families,” said Zelenskyy in a video released by his office. “I wish you only victory – this is what I wish for every Ukrainian, this is what is very important to all of us.”

Zelenskyy also visited a hospital to meet with wounded soldiers and handed out awards for their service. The video footage also released by Zelenskyy’s office showed the residential areas of Avdiivka reduced to rubble. Officials say only 1,800 people remain in Avdiivka.

Zelenskyy’s visit this week also comes as Russian leader Vladimir Putin visited Russian troops in the occupied Ukrainian territories in Luhansk and Kherson. In Avdiivka, Zelenskyy was with his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, who said Ukrainian troops were holding the defenses to prevent Russia from encircling the city.

On Wednesday, Reuters reports that South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has signaled that Seoul may provide Ukraine with military aid should Kyiv be under a large-scale attack.

Yoon told Reuters ahead of his visit to the United States next week that the South Korean government has been looking into how they can assist in rebuilding and defending Ukraine, just as the nation received international assistance during the Korean War from 1950 to 1953.

This marked the first time Seoul suggested that it was willing to provide weapons to Ukraine after ruling out the possibility for more than a year. South Korea has tried to avoid antagonizing Russia due to Russian firms operating in the country and Moscow’s alignment with North Korea despite pressure from the West.