Zelensky responds to witdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Vuhledar
Source: Volodymyr Zelensky/Telegram
On October 3, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky commented on the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Vuhledar after it was overrun by Russian forces this week.
The Ukrainian leader said that the country is on the back foot as it is hard to stop Russia’s onslaught without long-range weapons.
“Without the proper weapons, we cannot stop Russia, which is using these weapons against us and destroying everything,” he said when asked by reporters about what Ukraine is going to do after its troops withdrawal from Vuhledar.
During his meeting with newly elected NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte who is visiting Kyiv on Thusday, Zelensky said that Russia is ‘just destroying Ukrainian [army] positionsthat Russia is wrecking the positions of our soldiers, and their lives must be saves because their lives are more important than buildings.”
Zelensky admitted there is still no decision on NATO stepping in to shoot down Iranian drones and Russian missiles over Ukraine.
By contrast, Rutte expressed cautious optimism arguing that Ukraine is now closer to joining NATO “than ever before”.
Amendments to Ukraine’s enforcement proceedings legislation, initiated by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, have entered into force. Among other measures, the reform provides for the automated lifting of attachments on bank accounts immediately after debts in enforcement proceedings have been fully settled. The main practical benefit for citizens is the complete elimination of the need to contact an enforcement officer in person and wait for paper decisions once the debt has been paid.
The 157th Separate Mechanized Brigade has received another batch of supplies as part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front military initiative. This time, the military received seven quad bikes and four mobile shower and bath units.
In my previous column, I wrote about social innovations in Ukraine. Those innovations are part of civic resilience and the democratization of security, which Europe is paying close attention to right now. The EU is trying to work out how to spread responsibility for its own security across society as a whole, rather than leaving it to institutions alone. It is looking for concrete ways to bring ordinary people into the work of defense and resistance.
Petro Poroshenko’s lawyers have appealed to the High Anti-Corruption Court demanding that NABU be obligated to register proceedings regarding the fact of exerting influence on the court and to recognize Petro Poroshenko as a victim in the case of the Deputy Head of the Office of the President, Iryna Mudra, due to her pressure on Supreme Court judges who were considering a lawsuit to overturn sanctions.
Internationally recognized brands and financial institutions should direct capital to Ukraine now, not waiting for the hostilities to end. This was emphasized by Rinat Akhmetov, president of FC Shakhtar, during a working visit to UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, where he met with UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin.