C T Online Desk: President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Ukrainians to be vigilant ahead of Wednesday’s celebrations to mark 31 years of independence from Soviet rule, as fresh blasts hit Crimea and a missile wounded 12 civilians near a nuclear power plant.
Ukrainians must not allow Moscow to “spread despondency and fear” ahead of the August 24 events, which also come six months after Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Zelensky said on Saturday.
“We must all be aware that this week Russia could try to do something particularly ugly, something particularly vicious,” Zelensky said in nightly remarks on video.
Curfew in Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, is to be extended for the entire day on Wednesday, said regional Governor Oleh Synehub. The curfew usually runs from 10pm to 6am in the northeastern city, regularly hit by Russian shelling.
“Remain at home and take heed of warnings!” Synehub wrote to residents on the Telegram messaging app.
Also on Saturday, a Russian missile hit a residential area of a southern Ukrainian town not far from a nuclear power station, wounding 14 civilians, Russian and Ukrainian officials said.
