Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has visited the eastern region of Donetsk, where fierce fighting has continued against Russian forces.
Zelenskyy revealed his visit, made with a newly appointed frontline military commander, in video footage posted on social media on Wednesday.
The president said Brigadier General Andriy Hnatov, the new commander overseeing Ukraine’s joint military forces on the front against Russia, was accompanying him. Hnatov’s appointment to the post was announced on Monday.
Zelenskyy said, “I was surprised to learn that some relevant officials have not been here for six months or more.”
He said there would be “a serious conversation, and I will draw appropriate conclusions regarding them.”
Regarding the replacement of the commander, Ukrainian media reports say some units had been increasingly critical of the heavy losses sustained by the military under Hnatov’s predecessor.
Observers say Zelenskyy apparently made the visit to show his stance of grasping the situation on the frontline and listening to dissatisfaction in the military.
In Moscow, the Russian foreign ministry announced on Tuesday that the Kremlin is restricting access on the country’s territory to 81 European media outlets.
The ministry said the move is a response to a similar EU ban on some Russian media outlets.
The ministry said the European news outlets “systematically disseminate false information about the progress of the special military operation.”
Among those affected by the Russian restriction are France’s AFP news agency and Le Monde newspaper, and Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine.
The EU Council decided in May to suspend the broadcasting activities of several Russian media outlets in the union. It said these outlets “spread and support the Russian propaganda and war of aggression against Ukraine.”