Ukraine's Zelensky involved in car accident, 'not seriously injured'

The Moscow-Kyiv conflict is entering a decisive phase, with Kyiv's forces expelling Russian troops from swathes of the east

By AFP

Published: Thu 15 Sep 2022, 6:47 AM

Last updated: Thu 15 Sep 2022, 7:00 AM

A motorist collided with a vehicle carrying Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky as his motorcade passed through Kyiv, though the president was not seriously injured in the accident, his spokesman said, early on Thursday morning.

"In Kyiv, a passenger car collided with the car of the President of Ukraine and escort vehicles," spokesman Sergiy Nikiforov said in a statement posted on Facebook at 1.22am local time (22.22 GMT).

"Medics accompanying the President provided the driver of the passenger car with emergency aid and transferred him to an ambulance."

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"The president was examined by a doctor, no serious injuries were detected. The law enforcement officers will investigate all the circumstances of the accident," he added.

In his nightly televised address, which was posted shortly after the accident, Zelensky said he had just returned from the area around Kharkiv, adding that "almost the entire region is de-occupied" after a lightning counteroffensive to dislodge Russian troops.

"It was an unprecedented movement of our soldiers — the Ukrainians once again managed to do what many thought was impossible," Zelensky said.

"Weapons, weapons, weapons have been on our agenda since spring. I am grateful to partners who have answered our call: Ukraine's battlefield successes are our shared ones. Three agenda items now are schedule, schedule, and schedule. Prompt supplies bring victory and peace closer," tweeted Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

The war in Ukraine is entering a decisive phase, with Kyiv's forces expelling Russian troops from swathes of the east, appearing to seriously challenge the Kremlin's ambition to capture the entire Donbas region.

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