Zelenskyy claims Russia destroyed 1873 educational institutions in Ukraine since war began

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday accused his Russian counterpart of the destruction of more than 1,800 educational institutions since the deadly war commenced in February this year. While addressing the nation on Saturday night, Zelenskyy said a total of 1,873 educational institutions were destroyed by the Russian army and called the action "a colossal scale of losses". The Ukrainian President claimed that the figure includes primary schools, universities, kindergartens, and other institutes. Meanwhile, he informed that the Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, who was in Kyiv on Saturday, offered to reconstruct Ukrainian schools and kindergartens that were destroyed by Putin's forces since the invasion. 

During the address, he thanked US President Joe Biden for immediately signing the $40 billion support package for Ukraine. He called it "a historic contribution to the protection of freedom in Europe." While speaking on national TV, he affirmed the ongoing brutal war can only be resolved through diplomacy. He appealed to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to return to the negotiating table to end the war. He affirmed that Ukraine will gain victory against Russia on the battlefield. Further, Zelenskyy maintained that he will consider his victory only when President Putin pledged to return all the regions seized by Russian forces to Ukraine. 

Fate of soldiers who surrender at Azovstal stuck in limbo

However, the Ukrainian President made no mention of Russia's claim regarding the surrender of at least 1,908 Ukrainian fighters who had been fighting with Putin's forces at the Azovstal steelworks. It is worth mentioning that the fate of those surrendered is still stuck in limbo despite the international call on Russia to release the Prisoner of Wars (PoW). The International Committee of the Red Cross gathered personal information from hundreds of the soldiers — name, date of birth, closest relative — and registered them as prisoners of war, as part of its role in ensuring the humane treatment of POWs under the Geneva Conventions. Amnesty International said in a tweet that the Ukrainian soldiers are now prisoners of war and as such “must not be subjected to any form of torture or ill-treatment.” 

Image: AP