Zelenskiy visits frontline Zaporizhzhia area positions

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has met troops in southeastern Ukraine, the latest stage of a tour of frontline regions since a top general said a counterattack against Russian forces could come soon.

“I am honoured to be here today, next to our military,” Zelenskiy he wrote in a post on the Telegram messaging app that was accompanied by footage of him handing out medals to troops in the Zaporizhzhia region.

In separate trips last week, Zelenskiy met soldiers in eastern Ukraine near the small city of Bakhmut – where fighting is intense – and spoke to officials and residents in the southern region of Kherson, where Ukrainian forces pushed back Russian troops last year after months of occupation.

Ukraine’s ground forces commander said on Monday they were planning their next move after Russia shifted the focus of its offensive from a flagging assault on Bakhmut to the town of Avdiivka further south.

“I am thankful to each of our warriors for defending Ukraine, our sovereignty, our cities, and our children,” Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram.

“We will definitely win.”

United Nations nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Monday he met with Zelenskiy in Zaporizhzhia, the site of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.

The two had a “rich exchange” on the protection of the plant and its staff, Grossi wrote in a tweet.

He added that he reiterated the IAEA’s full support for Ukraine’s nuclear facilities. 

Grossi, who is director-general of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, plans to visit the Zaporizhzhia plant – which is held by Russian forces – this week.

with AP