Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky visited a military hospital in Kyiv region to meet soldiers injured while repelling the Russian attack. Mr Zelensky also gave medal of honour to troops killed in the war and declared them “Heroes of Ukraine”.
The Independent reported that Hutsul Volodymyr Olesksandrovych, a senior lieutenant, was one of the men awarded the title and a medal.
He was commemorated for destroying 25 units of Russian military equipment and killing about 300 invading soldiers.
Ukraine's Ministry of Defence posted the photos of Mr Zelensky's visit to the hospital, in which he is seen posing for selfies.
“Guys, get well soon. I believe that the best gift for your statement will be our common victory,” Mr Zelensky told the injured soldiers, according to the English translation of the tweet posted by the Ukrainian Defence Ministry.
Президент України Володимир Зеленський відвідав у госпіталі поранених захисників України 🇺🇦
— Defence of Ukraine (@DefenceU) March 13, 2022
🔊 «Хлопці, швидше одужуйте. Вірю: найкращим подарунком до вашої виписки буде наша спільна перемога!» - зазначив @ZelenskyyUa pic.twitter.com/lHYZJHWvp8
However, the exact location of the hospital has not been confirmed. Several news outlets have also posted the video of the Ukrainian President arriving at the hospital.
People on social media appreciated the gesture shown by the Ukrainian President. “This is leadership at its best,” a Twitter user commented.
Another Twitter user, a US Army veteran, posted: “I wish we had a president like him.”
The war in Ukraine has been going on for 19 days and Mr Zelensky has rallied his people with a series of addresses from capital Kyiv.
"It is impossible to say how many days we still have (ahead of us) to free Ukrainian land. But we can say we will do it," he said on Saturday. "We are already moving towards our goal, our victory."
He added that at least 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers have died defending the country.
Russia has stepped up its attack, targeting many Ukrainian cities in the last two weeks. Air raid sirens sounded before dawn on Monday in many cities and regions of Ukraine, including Kyiv, Lviv, Odessa, Ivano-Frankivsk and Cherkasy.
In the capital, authorities said they were stockpiling two weeks' worth of food for the 2 million people who have not yet fled from Russian forces attempting to encircle the city.
Diplomatic efforts are also on, with Ukrainian and Russian negotiators set to talk again.
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