Statement by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made a statement updating on the situation in Ukraine.

The President signed a Decree on full military mobilization. Mobilization will last for 90 days on entire territory of Ukraine starting from the date the Decree enters into force.

The President re-assured that he stays in Kyiv’s governmental quarters and that his family remains in Ukraine.

The President informed that Russian saboteur groups have entered Kyiv and that they plan to undermine the government in Kyiv. “I am their target number one. My family is target number two. They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying its Head of State,” – said Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy informed that control over Serpent Island (in the Black Sea) was lost.

The President honored the island border guards, who refused to surrender to the enemy and lost their lives in battle with the Russian Naval Forces.

President Zelensky also informed that as a result of Russia’s aggression 137 Ukrainian citizens were killed and 316 wounded on February 24, 2022.

General Staff of Armed Forces of Ukraine

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Lieutenant General Valery Zaluzhny at 1 p.m. addressed the leadership of the Ukrainian Armed Forces:

"We keep fighting! The entire security and defense sector is making a worthy rebuff. It will be hard but we will persevere. The Russians did not succeed in the blitzkrieg. They will wash with their own blood!  This is our country. And the country is worth paying a high price for", Mykhailo Podoliak summed up.

Address by Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine / CinC AF of Ukraine Lieutenant General Valery Zaluzhny 17:30:

"The 19th hour of our resistance to the large-scale Russian invasion continues. As of 00:00 on February 25, a group of defense forces is conducting an organized defense operation in the south.

Defensive battles are being fought in the area east of Kherson. Mechanized units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine recaptured the road bridge and established themselves on the left bank of the Dnieper.

Our mechanized units in the Rykove area defeated the overwhelming forces of the enemy. The enemy is destroyed. Defensive battles are being fought in the Seversky direction in the Peremoha and Hlukhiv districts. The enemy column is stopped. Units of the first tank brigade on the Belous River in the direction of Chernihiv stopped the overwhelming forces of the occupiers. In Volhynia, mechanized units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine took up positions on certain borders in readiness to repel the enemy's offensive.

In the Slobozhanshchyna region, an operational group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine conducts defense in the areas of the settlements of Dovzhanka, Kharkiv, Okhtyrka, and Sumy. Defensive battles are being fought in the districts of Vovchansk, Bilyi Kolodyazy, and Prykolotny. Security units in Okhtyrka stopped another enemy offensive.

The Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine continues to fight in the southwestern part of the Black Sea. The bases and ports of Odessa, Yuzhny, Ochakov, and the Black Sea are being defended. Certain forces and means were transferred to the defense of the city of Kyiv. The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine repulses enemy air strikes, conducts constant reconnaissance using UAVs, strikes on columns of occupation troops in the areas of Nova Zburivka, Kupyansk, Nova Kakhovka and enemy landings near Gostomel airfield.

As a result of hostilities in some areas, groups of the combined forces in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts restored the position on the front line. In the area of ​​responsibility of individual units, the enemy is trying to wedge into the battle formations of our troops to the depth of platoon bases.

he estimated losses of the enemy were: tanks - more than 30 units, armored combat vehicles - up to 130 units, aircraft - 5, helicopters - 6.

Believe in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and our Victory!

Together to victory!

Operational information as of 2 p.m.

As of 2 PM on February 24, the situation in the Donetsk operational district is tense, but controlled by the Joint Forces.

The shelling by the Russian occupation forces continues.

All military units are fiercely resisting the Russian invasion, and Ukrainian soldiers are showing unprecedented courage and heroism. Allied forces were able to thwart the Kremlin's plan of rapid offensive.

Despite numerous enemy attacks, aircraft, artillery and missile strikes, as well as a large number of armored vehicles, the enemy was unable to advance deep into Ukraine in the eastern direction.

Ukrainian defenders managed to repel attacks, defend and hold all key settlements and infrastructure.

In the Luhansk direction during the day the fiercest battles were fought for Schastya, Stanytsia Luhanska, Lobachevе, Bilovodsk, Starobilsk. In the battles for Schastya, two enemy tanks were destroyed and one tank and one anti-aircraft twin-barreled autocannon ZU-23-2 were captured.

In the area of occupied Sentianivka, our artillery units stopped an enemy mixed column of armored vehicles, MLRSs’ “Grad”, military vehicles.

In the Donetsk direction, the hottest was in the areas of Novotroitske, Novohnativka, Pavlopil and Pishchevyk.

As of now, no new attempts to break through the enemy have been recorded, there is a decrease in fire activity in some areas.

Ukrainian soldiers firmly hold their positions and inflict losses on the aggressor.

Operational information as of 3 p.m.

As of 3 p.m. on February 24, the enemy continues to conduct full-scale aggression against Ukraine. At present, out of 90 BTGs, more than 60 battalion tactical groups have been deployed on the territory of Ukraine. The enemy focuses its main efforts on the Slobozhansky, Siversky, and Tavriya directions.

With the permission of another "fraternal people" from the Republic of Belarus, demonstration actions are being carried out along the northern part of the state border of Ukraine by Su-25SM aircraft from airbase LUNINETS.

The insidious plan of the Russian invaders is already clear. The main purpose of the operation is to block Kyiv, create a land corridor to the Crimean peninsula and a self-proclaimed Transnistrian region.

To do this, an air tactical landing was landed: up to 200 Russian soldiers at the airbase HOSTOMEL.

Another goal of the aggressor is to inflict damage on critical civilian infrastructure, which is regularly hit by air and missile strikes.

Fighting is taking place on the approaches to Kherson. The enemy is trying to bypass the city from the east and continue the offensive in the direction of MYKOLAIV. Two missile strikes were inflicted on BUIALYK.

The Defense Forces continue to conduct a defense operation to repel armed aggression.

Mechanized and tank units are defending in the north along the Peremoha-Hlukhiv border. The column of Russian occupiers is stopped. 1st separate tank brigade continues the battle on the outskirts of Chernihiv.

In the suburban direction, the defense is conducted along the border.

The enemy has an extremely low morale. An eloquent example is the defense of Sumy and Okhtyrka. In Okhtyrka, a small supply unit, armed only with small arms, cleared the hometown of the Russian assault battalion.