President: Citizens of Ukraine are being destroyed because we don’t want to be subdued to Russia

The Ukrainian president said this in an interview with the American TV channel CBS, the video of which was published on the president's Telegram channel, Ukrinform reports.

“This is genocide. The elimination of the whole nation and the people. We are the citizens of Ukraine. We have more than 100 nationalities. This is about the destruction and extermination of all these nationalities. We are the citizens of Ukraine and we don't want to be subdued to the policy of Russian Federation. This is the reason we are being destroyed and exterminated, and this is happening in the Europe of the 21st century. So this is the torture of the whole nation,” he said.

He noted that Ukraine believes in a fair punishment to those who committed crimes against the Ukrainian people.

“We believe in justice, in the justice of the world, of the western world. Of any world, of any country. Therefore, the question is not only about the leader of Russian Federation. We wouldn't think that it would be fair to take only him. I think all the military commanders, everyone who gave instructions and orders should be punished adequately. The adequate punishment to these people is difficult to be achieved. It has to be done according to the law and what they have done,” he said.

When asked if he believed that the world would help hold those responsible for war crimes in Kyiv region to account, Zelensky said: “When we find woman with hands tied behind their back and decapitated. Such things I don't understand. I don't comprehend the kids who were killed and tortured. So it wasn't enough just to kill for those criminals. Maybe they wanted to take gold or washing machines and they were killing, but they were also torturing them as they did this. And your question is absolutely fair, but I don't have the answer. I don't know what law or what imprisonment term would be adequate for this. As the father of two children and as a president, I think that these people, if they are put behind the bars, this is one too little for what they have done”.

As Ukrinform reported, the Ukrainian defenders liberated Kyiv region from Russian invaders. The whole world has seen the photos of civilians killed by invaders in Bucha, Irpin and Hostomel. Raped women, who were tried to be burned, killed local government officials, children, the elderly, and men are among the victims of Russian war crimes. Many had their hands tied, there are traces of torture, people were shot in the back of the head.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the beginning of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine