Russia is conducting heavy attacks in the Donetsk region because dictator Vladimir Putin needs to achieve some result that he can brag about in the first half of December. At that time, the Russian president plans to announce that he will run for election in 2024.

This was stated by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a new address to the nation. The video was published on the evening of November 14 on the YouTube channel of the President's Office (to watch the video, scroll to the end).

"We must understand that Putin now has a very cynical, specific political goal and is ready to kill as many of his people as he wants because he wants to show at least some tactical result in the first half of December. He wants to announce his elections at that time," Zelenskyy said.

Now, Russian troops are losing personnel and equipment near Avdiivka "faster and on a larger scale than near Bakhmut," he noted.

"It is extremely difficult to withstand this onslaught. And each of our soldiers who holds their positions, each of our soldiers who performs combat missions there, deserves our extreme gratitude. They are real heroes!" the President said.

According to him, the higher the enemy's losses near Avdiivka, the worse the overall situation and the course of this war would be for the occupiers.

The guarantor also spoke about the situation with the US assistance to our country. He noted that Kyiv continues to work to ensure that "support is maintained at the level that is needed now." In particular, a Ukrainian delegation is currently in Washington.

"I am grateful to our partners for understanding Ukrainian needs... It will not be easy. We realize this. But we are doing our best to ensure that Ukraine's position remains reliable. And in the coming weeks, we plan to work with the European Union and other partners," Zelenskyy said.

Another topic raised by the President was the evacuation of Ukrainian citizens from the Gaza Strip. He noted the work of our entire team and those who helped. "This is a very, very complex, sensitive, multi-level operation. More than 200 people have been rescued. We are preparing the next groups for evacuation," the guarantor said.

He thanked the Egyptian and Israeli authorities, Ukrainian diplomats who are involved and effective, SkyUp, Jonathan Markovitch personally, and the officers of the DIU, "who are performing the relevant tasks on the ground and here in Ukraine."

Zelenskyy emphasized that the country's success in such operations "once again demonstrates to the world how much our state values its citizens, wherever they are, and how effective our state institutions are."

As OBOZ.UA previously reported:

- On November 14, President Zelenskyy held a daily conference call with the country's military command. The participants discussed schedules for the supply of ammunition, missiles, equipment, information from the front, and intelligence data.

- Speaking at the Hudson Institute, a US-based non-governmental think tank, on November 14, the head of the Presidential Office, Andrii Yermak, confirmed that the Ukrainian Defense Forces were making progress on the left bank of the Kherson region for the first time.

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