Zelenskyy says Russia’s aggression has ‘returned to their home’ as Ukraine marks Independence Day

KYIV — Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared on Saturday that whatever Russia brought to Ukraine—namely the ongoing conflict—”has now returned to their home,” as the country celebrates its 33rd Independence Day amid an incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.

“913 days ago, Russia unleashed war against us, including through the Sumy region. It violated not only our sovereign borders but also the limits of cruelty and common sense. It was endlessly striving for one thing: to destroy us. Instead, today we celebrate the 33rd Independence Day of Ukraine. And whatever the enemy was bringing to our land has now returned to their home,” Zelenskyy said in a video address from the border region of Sumy.

Zelenskyy vowed that Ukraine’s retaliation would be “worthy, symmetrical, long-ranged,” emphasizing that “They will know that sooner or later, a Ukrainian response will reach any point in the Russian Federation that is a source of danger to the life of our state and our people.”

He also stressed that Ukraine will not allow its territory to become a “grey zone,” adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin “will not dictate any of his red lines to us.”

Zelenskyy’s remarks come in the wake of Kyiv’s incursion into Russia’s border region of Kursk, which began on the night of August 5-6 when Ukrainian forces entered the town of Sudzha, located about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the border.

Russian President Putin accused Ukraine of carrying out a “large-scale provocation” and “indiscriminate shooting,” describing the incursion as a “terrorist attack.” Days later, Zelenskyy confirmed that it was an “operation” by Ukrainian troops aimed at creating a “buffer zone” against Russian attacks.

Ukraine’s Independence Day, celebrated annually on August 24, marks the day when the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic adopted the country’s Declaration of Independence. — Agencies