The Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelenski, described the situation in the Donbas as "hell", where Russian troops are trying to increase pressure, and affirmed that the Russian attacks have no military explanation.
"The Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to make progress in liberating the Kharkov region. But in the Donbas the occupiers are trying to increase the pressure even more. It's a hell, and that's not an exaggeration," Zelenski said.
He referred to the "brutal and senseless shelling" of Severodonetsk, where "in one day alone there were twelve dead and dozens wounded".
He stressed that the shelling of Ukrainian cities, air and missile attacks by the Russian army "are not just military actions during the war".
He also referred to the Russian attacks in the Chernobyl region, in particular the "terrible" attack in Desna, where debris is still being cleared and many people are dead, the constant attacks in the Odessa region, in the cities of central Ukraine, and the "completely destroyed" Donbas.
"All this does not and cannot have any military explanation for Russia," he added.
For Zelenski it is "a deliberate and criminal attempt to kill as many Ukrainians as possible, to destroy as many homes, social facilities and businesses as possible".
At the same time, he expressed his conviction that this will be qualified as "genocide of the Ukrainian people" and that all the invaders will definitely be brought to justice.