Zelenskyy vows to rebuild Ukraine, demands Russian reparations
Kyiv, Mar 3 (EFE).- Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday said Ukraine would be rebuilt after the war and demanded that Russia pay compensation to cover the costs of the damage caused by its invasion.
“We will restore every house, every street, every city,” Zelenskyy said in a televised address to the nation.
“And we are telling Russia — learn the words ‘reparations’ and ‘contributions’. You will pay back fully to us for what you’ve done against our state, against every single Ukrainian.”
Zelenskyy’s warning comes as Russian forces continue to bombard key cities across Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, Kharkiv in the northeast, Kherson in the south and Mariupol on the Black Sea coast, which has been encircled by Russian and pro-Russian separatist forces.
Russian forces on Wednesday shelled the Assumption Cathedral in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, local media said. No injuries were reported.
The cathedral is one of the oldest Orthodox monuments in Ukraine and in recent days has become a shelter for Ukrainians.
“Even if you destroy all our Ukrainian cathedrals and churches, you will not destroy our faith, our sincere belief in Ukraine and God, belief in people,” Zelenskyy said.
Russian shelling killed at least 21 people in Kharkiv on Wednesday, emergency services said.
EFE
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