President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and senior commanders of the Ukrainian military on June 26 visited Donetsk, where they met with the troops that have been engaged in the defense of the eastern frontline region and discussed the current situation on the battlefield.
Zelenskiy said in a video posted on his Telegram channel that he was accompanied by Ukraine's top military commander, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskiy, and the newly appointed commander of the Joint Forces of Ukraine's Armed Forces, Brigadier General Andriy Hnatov.
Zelenskiy on June 24 appointed Hnatov to replace Lieutenant General Yuriy Sodol following criticism that, under his leadership, Ukrainian forces suffered a large number of casualties and lost territory to Russian troops.
"Today, I officially introduced Andriy Hnatov to all those responsible for the defense of Donetsk region. We listened to reports directly from [the defenders of] the positions," Zelenskiy said in the video shot in front of the sign of Pokrovsk, the Donetsk city that was the target of a Russian missile strike on June 24 in which four people were killed and more than 40 were wounded.
Russian forces have been pressing ahead with an offensive in the direction of Pokrovsk in recent weeks after capturing Avdiyivka in February following a protracted battle.
Zelenskiy also said that urgent humanitarian needs in the region were also discussed.
"I held a meeting here in the Donetsk region on security and support for people -- a detailed meeting. Many questions. In terms of providing life -- water, social issues, evacuation, and in terms of defense assistance, and in terms of housing restoration," he said.
Separately, a Russian ballistic missile struck civilian infrastructure in Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa early on June 26, regional Governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram.
"An administrative building was damaged in the [city's] industrial sector. Fortunately, people were not injured," Kiper wrote.
Odesa, one of Ukraine's largest cities and a crucial port for Ukraine's grain exports, has been repeatedly targeted by Russian missile and drone strikes since the start of Moscow's unprovoked invasion in February 2022.
