"People come first": Zelenskyy speaks about the Ukrainian Armed Forces' retreat from Vuhledar. Video

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the situation with the retreat of Ukrainian defenders from Vuhledar. He emphasized that the safety of people is the highest priority.

He said this at a press conference on Thursday, October 3. The Head of State emphasized that Ukraine needs permission to strike with long-range weapons so that it does not have to retreat.

He also noted that the lives of the Ukrainian military are much more important than material objects.

"We are quite insistent on using long-range weapons. Without the appropriate weapons, we cannot stop the Russian Federation, which uses the same weapons against us, destroys everything, and destroys the positions of our soldiers, they need to save their lives because they are much more important than any buildings. And so, because these are our people, these are citizens of Ukraine, it is very right that they leave and can save themselves, for the sake of the state, for the sake of their heroic service. These are absolutely the right steps," the president said.

Zelenskyy also once again called on international partners to grant Ukraine permission to use long-range weapons in order to effectively stop Russia's aggression and ensure the safety of its citizens.

"That is why we are asking for permission to stop Russia with this or that weapon," he said.

On October 2, the Defense Forces officially confirmed the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Vuhledar. The decision was made due to the threat of encirclement of the city and to preserve personnel and military equipment.

Earlier it was reported that the units of the Defense Forces withdrew from their positions in Vuhledar in a controlled manner, so the occupiers did not get their military equipment. The enemy will try to use the captured city to its advantage, but it faces many difficulties along the way.

According to the Institute of War Studies, the Russians paid a very high price for the capture of Vuhledar. In particular, over the past two and a half years, Russian troops have conducted many unsuccessful assaults there, suffering enormous losses.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!