Address by president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, June 11, 2023

“It is very important that representatives of international justice have seen with their own eyes the consequences of the Russian act of terrorism at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Dear Ukrainians!

Today we managed to return 95 more of our people from Russian captivity, 31 of them are defenders of Mariupol. Most of them are privates and sergeants, two officers. The Armed Forces, the National Guard, the border guards. I am grateful to our team involved in the exchanges: Budanov, Yermak, Malyuk, Lubinets. Thank you for this result. Well done, guys! We have to get every Ukrainian man and woman out of Russian captivity.

We are also continuing our rescue operation in the south of Ukraine, and we have managed to evacuate about 4,000 people. Dozens of towns and villages remain flooded, with the worst situation still in the temporarily occupied part of Kherson region.

Again and again, we thank our people: the military, police, and rescuers. I would also like to thank volunteers, doctors, local authorities – everyone who is helping to rescue people after the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant disaster, and especially those who are helping to get people out, including those from the occupied territories. It is extremely difficult and dangerous, and it is a special kind of heroism. Thank you for every life saved!

Full text of the address: Office of the President of Ukraine