Zelensky appears to wish death to Putin in message

Volodymyr Zelensky has appeared to wish for the death of Vladimir Putin in a Christmas message after Russia continued to bombard Ukraine with missiles and drones.

- HOLLY BANCROFT

In a video posted to X on Christmas Eve, Mr Zelensky said that “despite all the suffering that Russia has brought, it is not capable of occupying or bombing what matters most. That is our Ukrainian heart, our faith in one another, and our unity”. Appearing to refer to Russian president Vladimir Putin, Mr Zelensky added: “Today, we all share one dream.

“And we make one wish - for all of us. ‘May he perish’, each of us may think to ourselves. But when we turn to God, of course, we ask for something greater, we ask for peace for Ukraine. We fight for it, we pray for it, we deserve it.”

His comments come after Russia hit regions across Ukraine with missiles and drones on Tuesday, killing at least three people, and triggering emergency power outages.

Further attacks on Christmas night saw at least two people killed in drone strikes on Odesa and Kharkiv.

Ukraine’s leader said in his address: “On the eve of Christmas, the Russians once again showed who they truly are.