Zelensky Visits Ukraine Frontline Troops

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday visited frontline troops near Lyman, an embattled town in eastern Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces have launched a counter-offensive against Russian troops.

Zelensky said he met soldiers operating in the Lyman sector, presented them with state awards and discussed ongoing military operations with a brigade commander.

He shared a video on social media showing him at a command post.

“Today, I met here with the warriors carrying out missions in the Lyman sector and presented them with state awards. I also spoke with the brigade commander about the missions the unit is carrying out,” Zelensky said. 

The Ukrainian leader has made frequent visits to frontline areas since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Zelensky said Ukrainian forces had recaptured territory around Lyman as part of a counter-offensive known as “Operation Vivaldi”.

Fighting along the wider front line remains intense, with both Russian and Ukrainian forces largely bogged down across the sprawling battlefield. The front has increasingly become a “kill zone”, with explosive-laden drones used to detect and strike movements on the ground.

Limited territorial gains by either side have come at a heavy human cost.

Russia is seeking to capture the entirety of the eastern Donetsk region, which Moscow claims as part of its territory.

Russian forces have also targeted heavily fortified frontline towns including Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, large parts of which have been devastated by years of aerial bombardment.