June 2 (Reuters) – Russia is currently occupying about 20% of Ukraine’s territory, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told Luxembourg’s parliament in a video address on Thursday.
“We have to defend ourselves against almost the entire Russian army. All combat-ready Russian military formations are involved in this aggression,” he said, adding that the front lines of battle stretched across more than 1,000 kilometres (620 miles).
Russia’s defence ministry said on Thursday its military had downed a Ukrainian Su-25 fighter jet in the Mykolaiv region.
It also said in a briefing that it had struck command points of Ukrainian forces near Kharkiv.
It was not possible to independently confirm the information.
Meanwhile, Slovakia will deliver eight self-propelled Zuzana 2 howitzers to Ukraine under a commercial contract which a state-controlled producer signed, the Slovak Defence Ministry said on Thursday.
The Zuzana 2 howitzer, a modernised version of an older model, is using 155-mm rounds and has an effective range of 40 km (25 miles) to more than 50 km (30 miles) depending on the ammunition type.
