President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky visited two of her cities today northern Ukraine to celebrate their capture by Ukrainian forcesa year ago in battles that, he said, showed that his country would defeat the Russian invaders.

In footage released by his office ZelenskyThe President of Ukraine visits Akhtyrka and Trostyanets in the Sumy region. This is the sixth district Zelensky has moved into in a week — some of them on the front lines — as rumors mount about an imminent Ukrainian counteroffensive.

“These days, these weeks, we are celebrating the anniversary of the liberation of our cities and towns in the northern regions,” he told a small crowd of soldiers and civilians who had gathered at the Trostyanets railway station. He then awarded the soldiers with medals.

Russian troops invaded Sumy, bordering Russiaat the beginning of the war, in February 2022. They were driven out a month later, meeting fierce resistance.

The footage posted online shows badly damaged buildings in cities visited by Zelensky. Ukrainian officials have said that the area near the border continues to be frequently shelled by Russian artillery and aircraft.

“Our people have proved that the winner will be defeated by us, our fighting spirit, Ukrainian temperament. Our people proved it, our fighters proved it,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.

Source: APE-MPE-Reuters