Ukraine wants to liberate Mariupol, Melitopol and Kherson | NOW

After a successful counter-offensive in the eastern region of Kharkiv, Ukraine now plans to liberate other major cities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced new attacks on areas occupied by Russian troops. These include the cities of Kherson, Mariupol and Melitopol, Zelensky said in his daily video message.

“Maybe it seems like after a winning streak there was a silence, but there is no silence,” Zelensky said. Ukraine is busy preparing for the next offensive. The goal is to liberate the cities of Kherson, Mariupol and Melitopol.

Ukraine will no longer focus solely on liberating areas captured by Russian forces after the February invasion. Areas in the east of the country under the control of Russian separatists and cities in Crimea must also be recaptured, Zelensky said. “Because all of Ukraine should be free,” Zelensky said on Sunday evening. Crimea was annexed by Russia in 2014.

Melitopol is of strategic importance for liberating the Crimean peninsula. The southern city is also called “the gateway to Crimea”.

After the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Russia took over many territories in the south and east of the country. Moscow still occupies about 125,000 square kilometers. This is about a fifth of Ukraine’s territory, including Crimea.