Russian losses 'entirely justified,' Zelensky says
Ukraine should continue to inflict “entirely justified” losses on Russia in the face of escalating aggression, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on June 19.
His remarks come two days after Russia launched one of its deadliest assaults on Kyiv, attacking the capital with ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones on June 17 in a nine-hour attack that killed 30 people and injured 172 others.
“There was no military sense in this strike; it added absolutely nothing to Russia in military terms,” Zelensky said, refuting Moscow’s claims that the attack targeted Ukraine’s “military-industrial complex.”
The president described Russia’s attack — which struck residential buildings, student dorms, and a kindergarten — as “deliberate terror.”
Zelensky urged Western partners to mount economic pressure on Russia and said he was working on new proposals for coordinated sanctions. He also said he held meetings with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) to discuss deep strikes in Russia.
“Russia must continue to suffer entirely justified losses due to its aggression,” he said.
While Russia has intensified its campaign of aerial terror against Ukrainian cities, Kyiv has stepped up its efforts to reduce Russia’s military capabilities, launching successful strikes on airfields, weapons factories, and oil refineries.
The most audacious of these attacks was the large-scale Operation Spiderweb, a coordinated drone strike on four key Russian military airfields on June 1. According to the SBU, the operation damaged 41 Russian warplanes, including heavy bombers and rare A-50 spy planes.
Since March, Ukraine has repeatedly offered to declare an unconditional ceasefire if Russia agrees to the same terms. The Kremlin has resisted at every turn. U.S. President Donald Trump’s attempts to broker a peace deal have led to continued escalation and more civilian deaths.
With Western support eroding and no ceasefire in sight, Ukraine continues grasping for leverage against Moscow — including by developing its own long-range weapons. Kyiv has developed several weapons capable of deep strikes in Russian territory, such as the Palianytsia and Peklo (Hell) missile-drone hybrids.
Ukraine has proven its ability to strike targets far from the border. A June 15 attack reportedly hit a drone factory in Russia’s Tatarstan, around 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from Ukraine.
Russia also continues to suffer staggering troop losses on the front lines. Earlier on June 19, Russian Ambassador to the U.K. Andrey Kelin accidentally admitted that Moscow is rapidly losing personnel in Ukraine during an interview with CNN.
According to figures from Kyiv, Russia has suffered more than 1 million dead, wounded, and missing soldiers since the start of its full-scale invasion.
The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk