Kyiv (Ukraine), March 3, 2022 – Russia will pay for all the damage inflicted on Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today, promising “every building will be rebuilt” destroyed by Russian attacks. “We will rebuild every building, every street, every city and let’s say to Russia: learn the word ‘reparations'”, commented the Ukrainian president in a new video message. “You will fully repay us for everything you have done against our state, against every Ukrainian. We have nothing to lose but our freedom,” he continued. On the military front, Zelensky explained that currently “Ukraine’s defense lines are holding up, from midnight. However, the change in Russian tactics, ie the decision to target civilian areas, shows that Ukraine has managed to resist Moscow’s plan for a quick victory with a ground assault.

The Ukrainian president also addressed the Russian soldiers directly and asked them to “go home. Go to your home . Protect Russian-speaking people in Russia”. Quoting Vladimir Putin, he said that “he should defend his home, not the whole world”. Zelensky seems to be a response to the Kremlin leader, according to whom the military aggression would be aimed at protecting Russian-speaking people living in Ukraine.

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Meanwhile, according to the Ukrainian military, the losses on the Russian side have amounted to approximately 9,000 since February 24, when the military offensive against Kyiv began. A new toll is reported by Ukrinform after President Zelensky talked about 9,000 Russian soldiers killed in a video in the past few hours. Ukrainians also report the destruction of 217 tanks and 90 artillery systems, multiple rocket launchers as well as aircraft, armored vehicles, two naval units, and three drones.

Russia-Ukraine War: situation on the ground on the seventh day

Yesterday the Russian Defense Ministry provided an official casualty toll for the first time with the confirmation of 498 fallen Russian soldiers.