On the eve of the 100th day of the war in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday in an address to the Luxembourg parliament that Russia now controls about 20% of his country.
The startling statement came at a time when Russia is making slow but steady gains in the eastern Donbas region, including taking over most of the key city of Sievierodonetsk.
Zelenskyy’s estimate appeared to include not only the Russian conquests during the invasion it launched Feb. 24 but also its 2014 annexation of Crimea and partial command of disputed territory in Luhansk and Donetsk in the east, which he referenced in his speech.
Whatever the precise accounting of how much Ukrainian territory Russia has seized, Zelenskyy’s message of the need for European unity in standing up to Russian President Vladimir Putin was unmistakable:
When we win this war, all Europeans will be able to continue to enjoy their freedom,” he said. “But if the person who wants to destroy any freedom in Ukraine and Europe prevails, there will be a dark time for everyone on the continent.” – USA Today..
