Zelensky warns of ‘cruel’ Russian action around independence day

Russia could do something particularly “cruel” during the upcoming week as Ukraine marks 31 years of independence, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned.

The capital Kyiv announced a ban on public gatherings, and Kharkiv declared a curfew around Wednesday’s independence holiday, which this year will also mark six months since the start of the Russian invasion.

“Russia could try to do something particularly disgusting, particularly cruel,” Zelensky said in his nightly address late Saturday.

“One of the key objectives of the enemy is to humiliate us,” and “to sow despondency, fear and conflict” but “we have to be strong enough to resist all provocation” and “make the occupiers pay for their terror,” he said. 

Ukraine’s Independence Day on Wednesday, 24 August, will also mark six months since Russia invaded the former Soviet republic.

There has been speculation that Russia will put Ukrainian fighters captured during the siege of Mariupol on a public trial to coincide with the independence anniversary.

A presidential adviser, Mykhaylo Podolyak said that Russia could intensify its bombing campaign.

“Russia is an archaic state that links its actions to certain dates, it’s an obsession of sorts,” the Interfax-Ukraine news agency quoted him as saying.

“They hate us and will try to increase… the number of bombings of our cities including Kyiv with cruise missiles,” Podolyak said.

Kyiv authorities on Sunday banned public gatherings from August 22 to August 25.

In the northeastern city of Kharkiv, the regional governor announced a curfew from the evening of August 23 to the morning of August 25.

“We will not allow any provocation by the enemy. Be as vigilant as possible during our independence holiday,” Oleg Synegubov wrote on Telegram.

Kharkiv has been under regular Russian bombardment for weeks and on Sunday emergency services said a woman was killed and two other civilians were wounded in overnight strikes.

Four civilians were reported killed by Russian fire in Donetsk, said the region’s pro-Kyiv governor, Pavlo Kyrylenko.

Five cruise missiles were fired at Odessa from the Black Sea, a regional administration spokesman said. Two were shot down by air defences and three hit a silo without causing injury.

The Ukrainian army said on Facebook that Russian forces occupied part of the Blagodatne town in the southern Mykolaiv region.