Volodymyr Zelenskyy warns ‘sick old man’ Putin with new drone missile

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday announced that the country’s forces have carried out “successful” tests of a new long-range drone missile and derided Russia’s Vladimir Putin as a “sick old man from Red Square”, reported Reuters.

Zelensky made the remarks in a video address on the occasion of Ukraine’s 33rd Independence Day. This was Ukraine’s third Independence Day since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022.

In his address, Zelensky said the new weapon, Palianytsia, was faster and more powerful than the domestically made drones that Kyiv has so far used in its fight against Russia.

“Our enemy will … know what the Ukrainian way for retaliation is. Worthy, symmetrical, long-ranged,” he said, according to Reuters.

The Ukrainian president also added that the new class of Ukrainian weapon had been used for a successful strike on a target in Russia, but did not elaborate further about its use or target location.

Russia and Ukraine also exchanged 115 prisoners of war each on the occasion.

Zelensky calls Putin ‘Sick old man’

In his Independence Day, Zelensky targeted Russian President Vladimir Putin and criticised Moscow’s repeated nuclear attack warning.

“A sick old man from Red Square who constantly threatens everyone with the red button will not dictate any of his red lines to us,” he said in the video.

He also said that Russia wanted to “destroy” Ukraine but that war has “returned to its home”.

“Russia was seeking one thing: to destroy us. Instead, today we celebrate the 33rd Independence Day of Ukraine. And what the enemy brought to our land has now returned to its home,” Zelensky said.

“Anyone who wants to sow evil on our land will reap its fruit on their territory,” he added. “This is not a prediction, not gloating, not blind revenge. It is justice.”