Zelenskyy says 20pc of Ukraine is under Russian control

Kyiv [Ukraine], June 2 (ANI): Amid the ongoing war with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that one-fifth of Ukrainian territory is under Moscow's control.
Zelenskyy made these remarks while addressing Luxembourg's lawmakers on Thursday.
As the Russia-Ukraine war enters the fourth month, the focus has now shifted to the eastern part of the country. Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Malyar last week said the fighting has reached its maximum intensity.
"As of today, about 20 per cent of our territory is under the control of the occupiers, almost 125 thousand square kilometres. This is much larger than the area of all the Benelux countries combined," CNN quoted Zelenskyy as saying.
He said fighting continues along the front line that is stretched over "more than a thousand kilometres."
Moreover, he added Ukraine's Donbas region is "simply devastated," describing it as "once one of the most powerful industrial centres in Europe."
According to Zelenskyy, over 30,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since the war began over three months ago. However, these figures could not be verified.
"That's greater than the death toll of the Soviet Union in 10 years of war in Afghanistan, greater than Russia's death toll in two Chechen wars," he claimed.
Furthermore, the Ukrainian president requested additional sanctions on Russia, asking for more weapons to support Ukraine's fight along the front line.
He also invited Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel to visit Kyiv and asked for the deputies to support the country's ambition to join the EU. (ANI)