Ukrainian forces reportedly shot down two Russian military aircraft in the Zaporozhye region. The information came from the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky himself, who, in his usual nightly communication with the country, summed up the results of operations on the ground and Ukraine’s actions in the context of the conflict with Russia.
According to Zelensky, the operation in the area where the largest nuclear power plant in Europe is located was carried out by the 15th Operational Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine, and it is about military aircraft of the SU type – an abbreviation for Sukhoi, the Kremlin’s main manufacturer of military aircraft.
“Thanks to our two especially accurate heroes”the Ukrainian leader mocked, adding that “one of them has already received a medal of the Hero of Ukraine and shot down not only an enemy plane, but also a cruise missile.”
At the same time, the President of Ukraine also spoke about the exchange of prisoners, as a result of which 106 Ukrainian soldiers returned home this Thursday. According to the President of Ukraine, this batch of prisoners of war includes eight high-ranking officers and 98 soldiers and sergeants. “They fought in the Bakhmut direction,” he said.
Zelensky did not provide details about the Russians released to complete the exchange, but stressed that prisoners of war are an important asset in negotiations with Moscow. “Everyone on the front line should remember this: the more Russian prisoners of war we take, the more of our people we can return,” he said.
The US Secretary of Defense said he expects Ukrainian pilots to begin training to fly F-16 fighter jets in the coming weeks.
In his video message, the President of Ukraine still managed to recall an unexpected speech he delivered this Thursday afternoon to graduate students at Johns Hopkins University in the United States. “This is one of the best educational institutions in America,” he said of the institution. who has produced dozens of Nobel Prize winners, as well as several famous rulers and figures from the world of journalism, science and art. “Your Graduates they are powerful personalities, and some of them have already had a significant impact on politics.”
In a video broadcast from Kyiv, Zelensky urged young college graduates to take their time and spend resources on pursuing their passions and defending the democratic values at stake in the war against Russia.
The President of Ukraine also urged Hopkins alumni to make the most of every moment and recalled that the ongoing conflict has affected the future of countless young Ukrainians, depriving them of opportunities and loved ones.
“Time is the most valuable resource on the planet”he said, explaining that some people realize it earlier and are “lucky” while others “realize it too late when they lose someone or something.”
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Source: Observador