On September 14, President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Izyum, Kharkiv region, liberated from the invaders. During the visit of the Ukrainian leader, an explosion was heard in the city.
Zelensky delivered a speech in the de-occupied Izyum. He promised that the state flag would soon fly in every Ukrainian city, channel 24 informs.
Zelensky caught the explosion in Izyum
Talking about his impressions of what he saw in the de-occupied Izyum, Zelensky noted that he knew this region very well even before he became president of Ukraine, so what he saw is shocking.
The fact that we see, it is shocking, although we have already seen this in Bucha in the first de-occupied territories. Also – destroyed buildings, killed people … Unfortunately, this is part of our history today. And part of the modern Russian nation is what they did,” the Ukrainian leader noted.
In his speech, Zelensky and other visitors to Izyum heard a loud explosion.But this did not stop the president and he continued to speak, and then asked to honor the memory of Ukrainian defenders who died in the war.
How Zelensky reacted to the explosion: watch the video
The Liberation of Izium: All That Is Known
- Izium is the third largest city in the region. As of 2020, the population of Izyum was over 46,600. The Russians captured Izyum in early March.
- The city was under heavy bombardment from aviation, the entire infrastructure of the city was destroyed, almost 80% of residential buildings were destroyed.
- From April 2, the city was completely occupied. Local residents have been left without electricity, water and gas.
- At least 1,000 civilians have died in Izyum since the start of the Russian military invasion.
- On September 11, the invaders left the city, driven out by Ukrainian defenders. The Ministry of Defense reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine de-occupied 3,800 square kilometers in the Kharkiv region.
