“Planed, cynical Russian war crime": Zelenskyy on Ilovaisk tragedy anniversary

Zelenskyy wrote about this on Facebook.

“On August 14, during these very days, the Russian occupier committed one of the most vilest crimes of this war—killing hundreds of our warriors near Ilovaisk. It was a planed, cynical Russian war crime that Ukraine will never forget and will never allow to go unpunished,” the president wrote.

He added that today the country honors the memory of all the defenders who fought for Ukrainian independence and sacrificed their lives for it.

“We will always remember those whose lives were taken by this war. And we will never forgive Russia for any Ukrainian life it has destroyed,” Zelenskyy emphasized.

On August 24, 2019, Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree establishing the Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of Ukraine, which is commemorated on August 29. The date is timed to coincide with the day of the Ukrainian army's greatest losses in Donbas - the day of the breakout from the encirclement in Ilovaisk.

The Battle of Ilovaysk, also known as the Ilovaysk Kettle, was a battle that took place near the city of Ilovaysk, Donetsk region, during the Russian-Ukrainian war in August 2014.