Zelenskiy vows to end Russian occupation of Crimea, defends strategy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a rising ceremony of the Ukraine's biggest national flag to mark the Day of the State Flag, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine August 23, 2023. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS

KYIV (Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowed on Wednesday to end Russia's occupation of Crimea, and deflected criticism of Kyiv's handling of a grinding counteroffensive.

Russia seized and annexed the Crimea peninsula in 2014 in a move not recognised by most other countries, and has occupied other parts of Ukraine in the south and east since its full-scale invasion in February 2022.