Zelenskyy on counteroffensive: Russians still have time to leave, otherwise we will destroy them

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that all the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine will be liberated, so if Russian troops do not leave, they will be destroyed.

Source: Ukrinform news agency, quoting a statement made by the President during his visit to the village of Yahidne, Chernihiv Oblast, on 3 April

Quote from Zelenskyy: "I’m not going to talk about specific things, because we cannot give the terrorists from the Russian Federation the opportunity to prepare for our methods and steps to liberation. But we will do it, and they should know that. They still have time to leave, otherwise we will destroy them."

Details: The President did not specify when the Armed Forces would be ready for the counteroffensive, but stated that the military was preparing "to be strong in battle and liberate our land".

It is also reported that on the anniversary of the liberation of the village of Yahidne, Zelenskyy visited a school basement where Russian invaders had held civilians hostage for almost a month.

German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, German Ambassador to Ukraine Anka Feldhusen, and Andrii Yermak, the head of the President’s Office, also visited the school with the President.

Looking at the place where the occupiers tortured local residents, Zelenskyy said he wished the Russian president would "spend the rest of his life in a basement, with a bucket instead of a toilet".

Background:

• On 3 March 2022, Russian invaders entered Yahidne, Chernihiv Oblast. They drove the residents out of their homes and herded them into a school basement.

• The occupiers kept 367 people, including 50 children and several babies, in the 197-square-metre school basement. The youngest was six weeks old.

• 11 villagers died, unable to withstand the inhumane conditions, and another 10 were shot by the Russians.

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