Zelensky to Russia: Don't put Ukraine soldiers on trial

KYIV, August 23 ------ Russia might take the provocative step of putting Ukrainian soldiers on trial, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky warned.

The leader cited media reports that Russia was preparing to put Ukrainian fighters captured during the siege of the southern port city of Mariupol on a public trial to coincide with the independence anniversary coming. "If this despicable court takes place, if our people are brought into these settings in violation of all agreements, all international rules, there will be abuse," Zelensky warned in his nightly address. "This will be the line beyond which no negotiations are possible." The president's warning came as the capital Kyiv announced a ban on public gatherings from August 22 to August 25. The northeastern city of Kharkiv declared a curfew lasting from the night of August 23 to the morning of August 25.

Zelensky was returning to a subject he had already raised in the previous night's remarks. "Russia could try to do something particularly disgusting, particularly cruel," he warned. "One of the key objectives of the enemy is to humiliate us, and to sow despondency, fear and conflict." But "we have to be strong enough to resist all provocation" and "make the occupiers pay for their terror," he said.

One of Zelensky's advisers, Mykhaylo Podolyak, said Russia could intensify its bombing campaign. "Russia is an archaic state that links its actions to certain dates. It's an obsession of sorts," the Interfax-Ukraine news agency quoted Podolyak as saying. "They hate us and will try to increase ... the number of bombings of our cities, including Kyiv, with cruise missiles," he added. In Kharkiv, Gov. Oleg Synegubov wrote on the Telegram platform that "we will not allow any provocation by the enemy. Be as vigilant as possible during our independence holiday."

The city has been under regular Russian bombardment for weeks. Emergency services said a woman was killed and two other civilians were wounded in overnight strikes. Four civilians were reported killed by Russian fire in the eastern Donetsk region, said its pro-Kyiv Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko. Five cruise missiles were fired at the city of Odesa from the Black Sea, a regional administration spokesman said. Two were shot down by air defense forces and three hit a silo without causing injury.

Source: manilatimes.net