In this handout photo taken from video provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the nation in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022.
Highlights
- Zelensky appealed to the West to strengthen sanctions against Russia
- Zelensky called for organizing a tribunal to bring to justice those who carry out such crimes
- Russia has said it would strike Ukraine's military-industrial complex
As Russian forces increased their shelling of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to the West to strengthen sanctions.
In a video statement Sunday evening, Zelenskyy heaped criticism on Western leaders for not responding to the Russian Defense Ministry's announcement that it would strike Ukraine's military-industrial complex, while telling employees of these defense plants not to go to work.
"I didn't hear even a single world leader react to this," Zelenskyy said. "The audacity of the aggressor is a clear signal to the West that the sanctions imposed on Russia are not sufficient."
Zelenskyy called for organizing a tribunal to bring to justice those who order and carry out such crimes.
"Think about the sense of impunity of the occupiers that they can announce such planned atrocities," he said.
The Russian Defence Ministry announced Sunday that its forces intend to strike Ukraine's military-industrial complex with what it said were precision weapons.
"We urge all personnel of Ukrainian defense industry plants... to leave the territory of their enterprises," ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement carried by the state news agency Tass.
READ MORE: Russian banks switch to Chinese UnionPay after withdrawal of Visa, MasterCard
