During today's Staff meeting, the main focus was on the battles for Avdiyivka and Bakhmut, for Luhansk Region, for each of the areas where Russian troops are trying to break the defences of the whole of Ukraine, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his evening address.
"The commanders of the directions, the commander-in-chief, and the intelligence reported at the Staff meeting. Separately, we discussed the training of new brigades. Supply of ammunition and weapons to the troops," the president said.
He added that the National Security and Defence Council, together with the government, is preparing a new powerful sanctions list of people working for aggression. They will be blocked.
"I held a long meeting on energy, both strategic issues - the development and protection of our energy system under any conditions, and current issues - the energy supply of our people and Ukrainian business," Zelenskyy said.
He stressed that a new tradition of respect was being added to the official life of our state.
"Hundreds of thousands of Muslims in Ukraine and the Muslim community of the world - different states, different nations - observe a strict fast during the holy Ramadan. When the sun goes down, they have an iftar dinner. In Ukraine, this is respected everywhere, even on the frontline, even in the midst of fighting. The Crimean Tatar people honour Ramadan... Respect should always be mutual. Therefore, starting this year, a special event in respect will be held annually in Ukraine with the participation of the head of state. And today, for the first time, it will be held in the Crimean Tatar Culture Centre," Zelenskyy said.
He pointed out that the world should know that respect and order will return to international relations only when the Ukrainian flag returns to Crimea, when there is freedom there - just like everywhere else in Ukraine.
He also signed several decrees on awarding state decorations to 771 soldiers.
In total, over 43,500 Ukrainian defenders have received state awards during the full-scale war.