Ukraine President Zelenskyy promises no 'lull' in taking back towns from Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised in his nightly adddres that there would be no let ups in the recent counteroffensive that has seen major wins against Russia.

An Ukrainian serviceman stands in a basement which, according to Ukrainian authorities, was used as a torture cell during the Russian occupation, in the retaken village of Kozacha Lopan, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022.  (AP Photo/Leo Correa) Duvets and sleeping bag are seen in a basement which, according to Ukrainian authorities, was used as a torture cell during the Russian occupation, in the retaken village of Kozacha Lopan, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) Emergency workers dig a grave of a civilian during an exhumation in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. Ukrainian authorities discovered a mass burial site near the recaptured city of Izium that contained hundreds of graves. It was not clear who was buried in many of the plots or how all of them died, though witnesses and a Ukrainian investigator said some were shot and others were killed by artillery fire, mines or airstrikes.  (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka) Unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers in a cemetery during an exhumation in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. Ukrainian authorities discovered a mass burial site near the recaptured city of Izium that contained hundreds of graves. It was not clear who was buried in many of the plots or how all of them died, though witnesses and a Ukrainian investigator said some were shot and others were killed by artillery fire, mines or airstrikes.  (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka) A vehicle on fire after shelling in Donetsk, area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces, eastern Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. A Ukrainian shelling attack killed four people in downtown Donetsk on Saturday. According to the city's Mayor Alexey Kulemzin, fragments of munitions for Caesar howitzers were found. (AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov)

"Maybe now it seems to some of you that after a series of victories we have a certain lull," he said in his nightly video address. "But this is not a lull. This is preparation for the next series... Because Ukraine must be free — all of it."

Ukraine’s military command said its forces secured the eastern bank of the Oskil River on Saturday. The river, which flows south from Russia into Ukraine, had been a natural break in the newly emerged front lines since Kyiv's counteroffensive began.