Russia’s further moves to depend on fate of Mariupol - Zelensky

The direction in which the enemy will advance now depends on many factors, including whether Mariupol will withstand the siege.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said this while answering journalists' questions during a joint briefing with Chancellor of Austria Karl Nehammer in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"Mariupol stands... How long will Mariupol stand? Our forces there are powerful and strong. One of the strongest, and you know it. This is a big test for them. Today there are 10,000 Russian servicemen around them. If we keep Mariupol, these 10,000 will remain there, too, and won’t go eastward," Zelensky said.

Also, according to the Ukrainian leader, everything depends on how quickly Ukraine’s partners will react with arms supplies, as well as on whether the Russian leader will be ready to move further.

"Everything will depend on our Armed Forces. Therefore, the most important thing is that we are ready in any of these areas," the president said.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Russia continues to build up a military grouping in Donetsk and Tavriya directions.

As reported earlier, on February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the launch of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops have been massively shelling and destroying key infrastructure facilities and residential areas of Ukrainian cities and villages, using artillery, rockets, ballistic missiles, and bombs.

Photo: Ukrainian President’s Office