Visiting Troops on Front Lines Near Russian Border, President Zelensky: We Will Win

President Zelensky visited his troops on the front lines of Kharkiv. (Source: President.gov.ua)

JAKARTA - President Volodymyr Zelensky appreciated the struggle of the Ukrainian army, praised the implementation of tasks and special operations, said they will win the battle with Russia.

He said this while visiting the forward command post of the Special Operations Forces in the Kharkiv direction, Vovchansk region, near the Russian border on Monday.

"I want to thank you for your heroic operations both behind enemy lines and during the defense and elimination of the occupation of our territories, cities and villages, starting with the defense of Donetsk airport in 2014, then Hostomel, Kherson region and operations in the Kharkiv region," he said, quoted from the Ukrainian Presidential website July 30.

"Please, take care of yourself. Today you are in this area, which is probably one of the most difficult. The whole country is counting on you, we will definitely win," he said.

The Vovchansk frontline area in northeastern Kharkiv near the Russian border is an area where Moscow troops are trying to break through, quoted from Reuters.

Russian forces opened a new front line in the north of the region in May, quickly making inroads of up to 10 km (6 miles). The Ukrainian military later halted the offensive, one of the main thrusts of which had been directed at the town of Vovchansk.

"Kharkiv front line. Forward command post of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in the Vovchansk region," President Zelensky wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

He was seen presenting state awards to soldiers and shaking their hands in a video posted alongside the statement.

In a video clip posted online, President Zelensky said authorities had begun strengthening air defense systems in the Kharkiv region, where frequent Russian airstrikes have eased to some extent recently.

"In terms of security, and without going into too many details, we have begun strengthening the airspace around Kharkiv," President Zelensky told businessmen in the neighboring Poltava region.

Supplies of Western anti-aircraft systems have begun flowing more quickly to Ukraine after US supplies were halted for months due to disagreements in the US Congress.

President Zelensky said such systems would be deployed more quickly "in areas where attacks are more intense".

Meanwhile, Ukraine's General Staff said Russia was continuing its airstrikes in the region's border areas. Kyiv's forces had repelled six attacks near Vovchansk and the village of Hlyboke more than 30 km (19 miles) to the west in the past 24 hours.

While Russia's offensive in the eastern Donetsk region remains Moscow's main thrust, the assault on the Kharkiv region has overwhelmed Ukrainian defenses and forced Kyiv to send in reinforcements.

Ukraine has since successfully lobbied allies to allow it to use Western weapons for some strikes across the border from the Kharkiv region. Kyiv says this has helped it repel attacks by Russian forces, now in the 29th month of their full-scale invasion of Ukraine.