00:00Russia says Ukrainian forces have carried out an aerial attack overnight, targeting more than a dozen regions.
00:06The Defence Ministry reports 95 drones were destroyed in areas from Kursk and Leningrad to Moscow and the Black Sea.
00:14It says at least one strike sparked a fire in the northwest. Crews are working to contain the blaze.
00:19No deaths or injuries have been reported.
00:23Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky says his country will not be defeated, insisting it is not a victim.
00:29His comments come as Ukraine celebrates 34 years of separation from the Soviet Union.
00:37Ukraine is stronger and respects itself.
00:40And Ukraine does not wait for gestures of goodwill, but has its own will to implement what we need.
00:46And when Russia wants to take the Sumi region, then the armed forces appear in the Kursk region.
00:51When the enemy strikes, our energy sector wants to leave us without light and heat, then its refineries burn.
00:56And no one can forbid us from such strikes.
00:59Because it strikes justice.
01:02Ezein Basraby has this from Kyiv.
01:06Relatives of fallen soldiers in this conflict, relatives of those that are still missing in this war,
01:13are marking Independence Day here in Kyiv on Independence Square.
01:17This is the third year in a row that Ukrainians are marking this occasion at a time of war.
01:22Three decades after announcing their departure from the Soviet Union, their independence from the Soviet Union,
01:29they are still at war with Russia for another year running.
01:34Now, Zelensky, President Volodymyr Zelensky, made a crucial speech at a critical time.
01:40Today, he had language to rally his people, but he also made some practical points that hint at perhaps what is to come.
01:48He said that Ukraine has proven that Russia is not invincible.
01:51When the second largest army in the world, he said, invaded this country,
01:56Ukraine was able to hold them back, stop them from overrunning the capital, and they have continued to do so.
02:02He said that has made Ukraine different.
02:03It is now an equal ally in Europe.
02:06It is the strongest military in Europe and an important partner on things like new technology.
02:13For example, he said drone tech.
02:15And he said that Ukraine's place is at the table.
02:19He also said that it is an obligation on this generation to make sure the war is not passed on to the next one.
02:25And he had language to say that he would not compromise Ukraine's territorial integrity
02:29and that it was incumbent upon him to make sure to find peace and end the war.
02:33But reading between the lines, there was a sense of urgency that this war does need to end soon.
02:38And the question now is, what is Zelensky trying to prepare his people for?
02:43It really seems there are one of two bitter pills to swallow.
02:46Either you may compromise for peace or this war will be prolonged and carry on.
02:53Zayn Basravi, Al Jazeera, Kyiv.
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