LVIV, Ukraine — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned his compatriots Thursday of a buildup of Russian troops in eastern Ukraine and of more bloodshed to come as he and Western officials continued to cast doubt on Moscow’s pronouncements of a partial military pullback around the capital of Kyiv.
Speaking in an overnight video address, Zelenskyy said there was an “accumulation” of Russian troops in Donbas, a region in eastern Ukraine claimed by pro-Russian secessionists, and cautioned his people not to read too deeply into recent peace talks.
The president criticized Russia’s “verbal constructions” this week that it would initiate a drawdown of forces in the north, near Kyiv and Chernihiv, where local officials have described shelling this week to have taken place “all night.”
