Ukrainian troops will chase Russian invaders away up to the border, President Volodymy Zelenskyy said in his evening video address, suggesting it is time Russian servicemen flee.
"This day of remembrance is scheduled for the end of summer, 29 August, to remind everyone of the tragic events of 2014, Ilovaysk, that this war, which began with Russia's occupation of our Crimea, on an attempt to capture Donbas, should end there - in liberated Crimea, in the liberated cities of Donbas, with our military reaching the state border of Ukraine.
We have always remembered this goal of ours. We have not forgotten it.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine, our intelligence, our defence forces are doing their job. I am confident that you all understand what is happening, what we are fighting for and what we are striving for. And our warriors are not demanding any announcements or information waves in the back.
Ukraine is taking back its own. And it will be reclaiming Kharkiv Region, Luhansk Region, Donetsk Region, Zaporizhzhya, Kherson Region, Crimea, by all means - all of our water area of the Black and Azov Seas - from the Snake Sea to the Kerch Strait. It will be. It is ours. And as our society understands it, I want the occupiers to understand it too. There will be no place for them on Ukrainian soil.
Who wants to know what are our plans? You will not hear specifics from any really responsible person. Because it is a war. And this is how it goes at war.
But the occupiers must know: we will be chasing them to the border. As far as our border, the line of which has not changed. The occupiers know it very well.
If they want to survive - it is time for the Russian military to run away. Go home. If you are afraid to go back to your home in Russia - well, let such occupiers surrender and we will guarantee them compliance with all norms of the Geneva Conventions.
If they do not hear me - they will have to deal with our defenders, who will not stop until they have freed everything that belongs to Ukraine.
And this is not something special. This is not something that has supposedly just started. We have been talking about this for 187 days," he said.