Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russian forces are preparing a massive strike against his country and warned citizens to be especially vigilant, „Reuters” reported.
„Tonight and in the coming hours it is especially important to pay attention to air raid warnings“, Zelensky said in his evening video address. „The Russians have prepared a massive strike. Please be careful“, he said.
„The Russians are not stopping the war, although all proposals to do so are concrete and realistic“, Zelensky said, quoted by DPA. He added that Kiev's proposal for direct talks between Ukraine and Russia, supported by Ukraine's Western allies, remained on the table, but said Russian President Vladimir Putin refused to engage in diplomacy.
Zelensky also warned Belarus against further involvement in Russia's war in Ukraine, saying such actions could have "dangerous consequences."
He said at least four relay stations had been deployed in Belarus near the border to help guide Russian drone attacks on Ukraine. "Belarus still has time to dismantle this equipment," Zelensky said, repeating his words from yesterday when he gave Minsk a one-week ultimatum to remove the facilities.
Russia has been using Belarus as a staging ground for military operations against Ukraine since the start of a full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The Ukrainian president also said Ukrainian drones had struck an oil refinery in the Tyumen region, in Western Siberia, more than 2,000 kilometers from Ukraine, Reuters reported.
He also said Ukraine had developed new long-range drones capable of operating at a distance of more than 3,000 kilometers.