Defiant president says nation is fighting back

‘We will not put down our weapons, we will defend our country’

- ISOBEL DICKINSON

HERO Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed, “We won’t run and hide”, as he claimed thousands of invading Russian troops had been killed.

He revealed he had turned down a US offer to evacuate him and said his country’s armed forces were successfully fighting back.

In a fearless message filmed on the war-torn streets of Kyiv, President Zelenskyy said: “The fight is here. I need ammunition, not a ride.”

And he declared: “We will not put down weapons, we will defend our state.

“Glory to our defenders, both male and female. Glory to Ukraine!”

The president blasted rumours of surrender as “fake” as Russian forces met fierce resistance.