Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged his allies to push for “regime change” in Russia, following a devastating drone and missile attack on Kyiv that killed seven people, including a six-year-old boy. The attack, which occurred on Thursday, also wounded dozens of others and reduced part of a nine-story apartment block in Kyiv’s western suburbs to rubble. Zelensky made the call during a virtual address to a conference marking 50 years since the signing of the Cold War-era Helsinki Accords.
The Russian army has claimed to have captured Chasiv Yar, a strategically important hillside town in eastern Ukraine, where the two sides have been fiercely fighting for months. However, a Ukrainian army spokesperson has rejected Russia’s claim as “lies”. Control of Chasiv Yar would mark a major military boon for Russia, which has been making incremental but steady territorial gains for months. The town’s capture would pave the way for Russian forces to advance on remaining civilian strongholds in the eastern Donetsk region.
The attack on Kyiv came just days after US President Donald Trump issued a 10-day ultimatum for Moscow to halt its invasion, now in its fourth year, or face sanctions. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga has called for more pressure on Russia to end the war, saying “President Trump has been very generous and very patient with Putin, trying to find a solution”. Sybiga added that it’s time to make Putin feel the pain and consequences of his choices and put maximum pressure on Moscow.
Zelensky believes that Russia can be “pushed” to stop the war, but warned that without regime change, Moscow will continue to destabilize neighboring countries even after the war ends. He also called for stronger economic measures against Russia, including the confiscation of frozen Russian assets. “We need to fully block Russia’s war machine… put every frozen Russian asset, including the stolen wealth of corruption, to work defending against Russian aggression,” Zelensky said.
The situation on the ground remains dire, with Russia’s deadly aerial assaults on Ukraine continuing unabated. The conflict has now entered its fourth year, with no end in sight. As the international community grapples with the crisis, Zelensky’s call for regime change in Russia adds a new dimension to the debate on how to bring the conflict to an end.
