Zelenskyy: Redeployment of air defense to Moscow opens new opportunities for Ukraine
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (facebook.com)
The concentration of Russian air defense systems around Moscow weakens other regions and creates new opportunities for our "long-range sanctions," according to a post by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Telegram.
The President said he had instructed the Defense Intelligence to analyze changes in Russia’s air defense system separately.
According to him, in recent weeks, Russia has been actively strengthening air defense around Moscow, redeploying systems from other regions of the country.
"This indicates that the Russian leadership is not preparing for a ceasefire, despite numerous statements to that effect, and is more concerned about its parade in Moscow than about the rest of Russia," he noted.
At the same time, Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that such a concentration of air defense around the Russian capital creates "additional opportunities" for Ukraine.
"This opens up additional opportunities for our 'long-range sanctions.' Our corresponding priorities will be determined," he stressed.
The head of state also said that Ukraine had received updated information regarding Russia’s internal assessment of the consequences of Ukrainian strikes on its territory.
The President noted that Russia’s direct losses, as well as the effects of slowing production and exports, continue to grow. This is particularly affecting regional budgets.
"The de facto bankruptcy of a significant portion of Russia’s regional budgets cannot be concealed," Zelenskyy concluded.
Ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia
Last week, Russia announced a so-called ceasefire with Ukraine for May 8–9, timed to the celebration of Victory Day. The announcement was issued by the Russian Ministry of Defense following an order from Russian leader Vladimir Putin, although no agreement with Kyiv was reached.
In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine would introduce a ceasefire starting at 00:00 on May 6 and would respond in a mirrored manner in case of violations by Russia.
However, already during the night and morning of May 6, Russian forces attacked Ukrainian cities and continued combat operations along the front line.
