Zelensky: No one forces to die for the sake of ruins, but we cannot leave eastern Ukraine

The defense forces cannot simply abandon their positions in eastern Ukraine because there is no guarantee that Russia will stop and not want to occupy more. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with Bloomberg Television, adding that Ukraine does not force anyone to "die for the ruins."

According to him, Ukraine is currently facing a "very difficult" situation in Pokrovsk, but any decision to withdraw troops is a matter for military commanders on the ground.

"No one is forcing them to die for the sake of ruins. I will support our soldiers, especially the commanders who are there, in how they can control the situation. Otherwise, it will be too expensive for us – the most important thing for us is our soldiers," he said .

Zelenskiy emphasizes that Russia is seeking victory in Pokrovsk to convince the US that Ukraine must withdraw from all Donetsk and Luhansk regions to end a full-scale war.

"We cannot leave the east of Ukraine. No one will understand this, people will not understand this. And most importantly, no one guarantees you that if they capture a city, they will not move on. There is no deterrent," the President said .

He noted, however, that the Russian army does not have "such a large force," so it is focused on attacks on Ukraine's energy system. According to Zelenskyy, Russia knows that once the energy factor disappears, it will have no other strong pressure factors left.

• on November 8, the Ministry of Energy reported on the state of the power system after Russian attacks – it has been stabilized, but blackouts are still needed.
• On November 12, the military reported that Russians are preparing to assault Myrnohrad with armored vehicles, and more than 7 square kilometers have been cleared of subversive groups near Pokrovsk. In Pokrovsk itself, there is no talk of an operational encirclement of the Ukrainian Armed Forces or Russian control over the entire city.