Zelenskyy visits frontline troops in Ukraine’s besieged Avdiivka
Kyiv, Apr 18 (EFE).- Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday visited the eastern city of Avdiivka, where Ukrainian and Russian troops have been engaged in fierce fighting for months.
He met soldiers and congratulated them on Orthodox Easter, which was celebrated over the weekend.
“I have the honor to be here today, to thank you for your service, for defending our land, Ukraine, our families,” the Ukrainian leader said.
“Congratulations on the holidays, on Easter, I wish you only victory – this is what I wish for every Ukrainian, this is what is very important to all of us,” he added.
Zelenskyy thanked servicemen of the marines, airborne assault, and mechanized and artillery units for their service and was filled in on the situation in the area by the chief of the Donetsk operative group.
The Ukrainian president awarded troops medals and led a minute of silence in memory of fallen soldiers.
The battles for Avdiivka and Bakhmut have been among the bloodiest of the war since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
Zelenskky also visited a military hospital in the eastern Donetsk region, his office said in a statement.
Hospital officials showed the president the surgery section and a bus for evacuating the wounded, which can transport up to five patients lying down and 16 seated patients at a time. The bus has already performed more than 90 extractions of wounded soldiers, according to the statement.
Zelenskyy decorated the troops being treated at the hospital. “Thank you for your service. I wish you a speedy recovery,” he said.
The Ukrainian president also presented decorations to the military doctors working at the hospital. EFE
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