Will not lay down weapons: Ukraine President defiant in new video amid Russian invasion

Russia Ukraine war: Volodymyr Zelensky said he will defend capital Kyiv on the ground.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has released two consecutive self-shot videos from Kyiv vowing to defend the capital against the Russian invasion on the ground.

In the first video released on Friday, Zelensky was seen alongside key aides in central Kyiv.

“Good evening to you all. The head of the government is here. The head of the president’s office is here. Prime Minister Shmyhal is here. Adviser Podoliak is here. The President is here. We’re all here. Our soldiers are here. Our citizens are here. We are all here defending our independence, our country, and it will stay that way. Glory to the men and women defending us. Glory to Ukraine. Glory to the heroes,” Zelensky says in a video shared by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence.

Wearing olive green military-style clothing, he was seen on the streets shooting the video with his advisers and top officials.

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— Defence of Ukraine (@DefenceU) February 25, 2022

"I am here. We will not lay down any weapons. We will defend our state, because our weapons are our truth," he declared in the video, news agency AFP reported.

"A lot of fake information has appeared on the internet saying that I allegedly called on our army to lay down its arms and that evacuation is underway," he said outside his office.

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— (@ZelenskyyUa) February 26, 2022

A full-scale Russian invasion is on in Ukraine since Thursday that has killed hundreds of people and forced more than 50,000 residents to flee Ukraine. Kyiv said that 137 people, including soldiers and civilians, have been killed.