Zelenskiy praises Ukrainians for battles with Russia and the weather

FILE PHOTO: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a joint press conference with Moldova's President Maia Sandu and President of the European Council Charles Michel, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine November 21, 2023. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo

KYIV (Reuters) -President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday thanked Ukraine's military for fighting Russian attacks and its rescue services for tackling the consequences of extreme winter weather that he said had deprived about 400 settlements in 10 regions of power.

In his nightly video address, Zelenskiy said relentless, intense battles were ongoing in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Kharkiv, while "extremely challenging weather" was affecting areas from Kyiv region in the north to Odesa in the south.