Zelensky vows to fight till the end as Ukraine marks independence day

President Zelensky has vowed to fight against Russia’s invasion “until the end” as his country marked its independence day amid tight security measures and fears of renewed Russian strikes.

The Ukrainian leader pledged he would not make “any concession or compromise” to end the conflict and vowed to recapture territory captured by Russia including the eastern Donbas region and the Crimean Peninsula, “whatever the path to that will be”.

“We don’t care what army you have, we only care about our land. We will fight for it until the end,” Zelensky said in a video address released on Wednesday,

In the pre-recorded speech, Zelensky said that his country was “reborn” in the conflict and referred to how the war might end.

“We used to say peace. Now we say: victory,” he said.

Ukraine declared its independence from the Soviet Union on August 24, 1991, but today’s anniversary also marks six months since President Putin’s invasion began in February.

The war has cost tens of thousands of lives, forced millions to flee and resulted in about one fifth of Ukraine’s former territory being under Russian occupation. It has also triggered a global cost of living crisis by increasing food and energy bills.

In a separate televised address last night, Zelensky said his country was “fighting against the most dreadful threat to our statehood”. He urged people to follow safety rules in place in cities such as Kyiv and Kharkiv, including curfews and air raid sirens.

“[Today] is an important day for all of us. And that is why this day, unfortunately, is also important for our enemy,” he said.

“We must be aware that [today] hideous Russian provocations and brutal strikes are possible.

“The armed forces of Ukraine, our intelligence, special services will do everything to protect people — as much as possible. And we will certainly respond to any manifestation of Russian terror.”

Zelensky also outlined some of the activities planned to mark the national holiday, including awards for people “from all walks of life” who have helped with the war effort.

Independence day in Kyiv in previous years has seen a large military parade through the city centre, but public events in the capital have been banned because of concerns they could become a target.

In Donetsk, one of Putin’s allies narrowly escaped a missile attack that hit the office of a pro-Kremlin separatist leader, Russian media has reported. Vyacheslav Volodin, a former high-ranking Kremlin official who is now the Russian parliamentary speaker, was evacuated just minutes before shelling hit the building in eastern Ukraine yesterday, the Kommersant newspaper said.

The building houses the offices of Denis Pushilin, head of the Russian-backed Donetsk People’s Republic, who was evacuated alongside Volodin. The upper floor was partially destroyed and a blaze erupted, the report said, but no casualties were reported. Volodin, who has been tipped as a possible successor to Putin, has not commented.

Russian media said the missiles were launched by the Ukrainian army. However, some analysts said that Russia could have carried out the attack to provide a pretext for massive strikes on Kyiv.

Russian officials said this morning that Ukrainian missiles had hit a shopping centre in Donetsk. Video footage aired by Russian state media showed black smoke billowing from a building identified as the Galaktika shopping centre. A separatist official accused Ukraine of carrying out the attack. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

In Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhya region, a pro-Russian official was killed in a car bomb, in what appeared to be the work of Ukrainian partisans. Ivan Sushko, who was installed by Russian occupying forces as head of the Mikhailovka village, was critically injured when his vehicle exploded as he set off for work this morning, and died in hospital. He is the latest in a string of Ukrainian officials who have sided with Moscow to have been targeted in recent weeks.

Many civilians are attempting to leave Kyiv amid fears of a Russian attack, according to an adviser to Ukraine’s president. Alex Rodnyansky said people were worried and that there was “certainly some concern” that an attack may strike government and security services offices in the Ukrainian capital. Government employees in Kyiv have been told to work from home this week.

US officials say Russia is likely to step up its efforts to attack civilian targets, while cages have reportedly been built to stage a show trial of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Mariupol, which was occupied by Russia after a devastating siege in May. Zelensky has said that Ukraine will reject any future peace talks with Russia if the trial goes ahead.

The Kremlin’s forces have previously been accused of deliberately bombing and shelling civilian targets, including deadly attacks on a crowded theatre in Mariupol, a railway station in Kramatorsk and a shopping centre in Kremenchuk.

Zelensky has warned Russia of a “powerful response” to any attacks timed to coincide with today’s national holiday.

Tensions have been particularly high after recent explosions in Crimea, which Russia occupied in 2014, and the assassination of the Russian political commentator Darya Dugina on Saturday night, which Moscow blamed on Ukraine. Hardliners in Russia have called for devastating attacks on Kyiv to avenge her death. Ukraine has denied any involvement.

Western leaders have also reasserted their support for Zelensky and promised more aid for the country’s defence.

The Biden administration is expected to announce approximately an additional $3 billion in aid to train and equip Ukrainian forces to fight for years to come, US officials said.

Germany has also promised military aid and armaments worth $500 million by next year.

Norway and Britain will jointly supply new micro drones to Ukraine, the Norwegian defence ministry said on Wednesday.

The cost of the Teledyne Flir Black Hornet drones, used for reconnaissance and target identification, will be up to 90 million Norwegian crowns ($9.26 million), the ministry said in a statement.

Ukraine has already received around $14 billion since the start of the war, but it has had to direct over 40 per cent of its budget spending — over 420 billion hryvnias ($11.51 billion) — to military needs.

The Ukrainian prime minister, Denys Shmygal, said the country expects a further $12-$16 billion of financial support from international allies by the end of this year.

Turkey, which has acted as a mediator during the conflict, winning trust from both Moscow and Kyiv, called on Putin to return Crimea to Ukraine, after an “illegitimate and illegal” annexation.

Boris Johnson and the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, warned Russia against further attempts to annex Ukrainian territory.

“It has never been more important for us all to stand together,” Johnson said in a video address to the Crimea Platform conference in Kyiv yesterday.

In London, the Ministry of Defence said Russia’s invasion had “proven both costly and strategically harmful” for Moscow.

“The Donbas offensive is making minimal progress and Russia anticipates a major Ukrainian counter-attack. Operationally, Russia is suffering from shortages of munitions, vehicles and personnel,” the MoD said. “Its diplomatic power has been diminished and its long-term economic outlook is bleak. Six months in and Russia’s war has proven both costly and strategically harmful.”

Russia’s war effort in Ukraine has made little progress in recent months, after its troops were pushed back from Kyiv in the early weeks of the war. Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu said that the slowing pace of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine was deliberate, and driven by the need to reduce civilian casualties.

Speaking at a meeting of defence ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Uzbekistan, Shoigu said: “Everything is being done to avoid casualties among civilians. Of course, this slows down the pace of the offensive, but we are doing this deliberately.”