Zelenski announced that more than 500 square kilometers have been recaptured in Kherson since October 1

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, declared, on Thursday evening, in the speech addressed to the nation, that the Ukrainian army has recaptured more than 500 square kilometers in the Kherson region since October 1.

Also, Zelensky stated that he discussed with the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about the nuclear power plant in Zaporozhye.

“We inform our partners about the latest manifestations of Russian terror. About the missile strikes on Zaporozhye and other cities in Ukraine. About the use of Iranian drones against our people and infrastructure. For some reason, Iran claims that there are no Iranian-made drones in Ukraine . People see them in the sky. We shoot them down. But we’re told there are supposedly no Iranian drones in Ukraine. Well, we’re going to find ways to make sure there really aren’t anymore. We also provide information on the movement our frontline,” Zelenskiy said.

“Since October 1, over 500 square kilometers of territory and dozens of settlements have been freed from the fake Russian referendum and stabilized only in the Kherson region. There are also successes in the eastern direction. The day will surely come when we will report on the successes in the Zaporozhye region – in those areas that are still under the control of the occupiers. The day will come when we will also talk about the liberation of Crimea. This perspective is obvious. It is also clear that there is still some way to go. There is still much to bear, much to do. Both for Ukrainians and for our partners – all those who value freedom and international law,” Zelensky said.

Zelensky also said that assurances are needed that Russia does not receive any profit from the sale of oil and gas.

“These days, the European Union is moving towards the introduction of the eighth package of sanctions against Russia. In particular, this package aims to limit the maritime transport of Russian oil and creates a set of tools to limit the oil revenues of the terrorist state . That’s good. But this is only the beginning. We need to make sure that the terrorist state does not receive any profit from the sale of oil and gas. So that not a dollar of oil and not a euro of gas can go to the continuation of the Russian war against Ukraine and the entire civilized world. I am confident that it will be secured in due time. And I thank all the Europeans, all those in the free world, who are working for this result. Who are promoting the necessary political decisions and who are creating the necessary economic alternatives to Russian energy resources.

The Ukrainian president also said that he had a meeting with the head of the IAEA, Rafel Grossi, who arrived in Kyiv.

“It is clear that our negotiations primarily focused on the situation at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant captured by Russian terrorists. But in fact, this topic is much broader. It concerns not only Ukraine and not only in the context of radiation safety. Of course, any decision by the current head of Russia regarding the Zaporozhye station and any attempt by Russia to transfer the station to its supposed ownership are worthless and frankly stupid. This is a nuclear power plant. This is not a palace, Yukos or anything else which the Russian leadership has already managed to steal. Only Ukrainian specialists can guarantee that there will be no radiation incidents at the Zaporozhye station. And it was important to hear from Grossi that the entire international community will contact Ukraine only regarding ZNPP, because it is Ukrainian property. It was, it is, and it will be. Now there are about five hundred occupants in the station. And they are nothing but five hundred risks of disaster really The world understands this. And I am grateful for the support of all those fighting for the return of Ukraine’s full control over the station and for its complete demilitarization,” continued the Ukrainian president.

“Another aspect of this topic is electricity itself. And if the Zaporizhia station does not work, we in Ukraine face certain difficulties. We have a situation where we don’t have a surplus of electricity, which we can export, in particular, to EU countries. This is a disadvantage for EU citizens, who lose a reliable source of energy supply. This is a disadvantage for us Ukrainians. We are honest about it. We sincerely say that all of us in Europe must fight for our interests together – in full unity,” Zelenskiy emphasized.