Ukraine鈥檚 President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addresses the members of Dutch parliament via video link, as Russia鈥檚 attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine March 31, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS)
LVIV, Ukraine 鈥� Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday said the situation in the south and the Donbas region remained extremely difficult and reiterated that Russia was building up forces near the besieged city of Mariupol.
And in a rare sign of internal dissent, Zelenskiy also said in a video address that he had sacked two senior members of the national security service on the grounds they were traitors.
Zelenskiy, who often uses colourful imagery, said the Russians were so evil and so keen on destruction that they seemed to be from another world, 鈥渕onsters who burn and plunder, who attack and are bent on murder鈥�.
Russia says it is carrying out a 鈥渟pecial operation鈥� to disarm and 鈥渄enazify鈥� its neighbour. Moscow also denies Kyiv鈥檚 accusations that Russian forces are targeting civilians.
Zelenskiy said Ukrainian forces had pushed back the Russians from Kyiv and Chernihiv 鈥� two cities Moscow had announced would no longer be the focus of attacks as they seek to secure the separatist Donbas and Luhansk regions in the south-east.
鈥淭here will be battles ahead. We still need to go down a very difficult path to get everything we want,鈥� he said.
鈥淭he situation in the south and in the Donbas remains extremely difficult.鈥�
Zelenskiy also said he had fired two top officials at the national security service 鈥� the overall head of internal security as well as the head of the agency鈥檚 branch in the Kherson region.
鈥淚 do not have time to deal with all the traitors, but they will gradually all be punished,鈥� he said, adding that the two men had betrayed their oath to defend Ukraine. He did not give specific details.
The occasion marked the first time Zelenskiy has announced high-profile sackings of those involved in Ukraine鈥檚 defence.