Ukraine's Zelenskyy Walks Through Besieged Capital to Award Medals to Wounded Soldiers amid Invasion
Watch: Zelenskyy visits injured soldiers in hospital
Ukrainian Presidency/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited wounded Ukrainian soldiers in the country's capital over the weekend, awarding them "orders and medals for courage and dedication" while also honoring staff at the military hospital — the latest of his public appearances projecting defiance in the face of Russia's invasion.
According to a statement released by Zelenskyy's office, the soldiers were taken to the military hospital "with injuries of varying severity after the fighting in the Kyiv region."
During Zelenskyy's visit on Sunday, which also saw him walk through the threatened city on foot, the 44-year-old "spoke with the hospital's management, asked about the needs of the institution and the special measures taken during the war," the statement added.
In photos and videos taken during the visit, Zelenskyy was in conspicuously good spirits as he could be seen taking selfies and posing for photos with hospital workers and the wounded soldiers.
Translation of the footage by USA Today shows that he wished the patients a speedy recovery while speaking to the on-staff medics.
Ukrainian Presidency/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy, an actor-turned-politician, has been at the center of the Russian invasion since it began in force on Feb. 24, addressing his people and the world repeatedly in recent weeks.
His selfie-style videos from the capital, in which he vows to continue the fight, have gone viral — as have his comments rebuffing offers of evacuation.
"I need ammunition, not a ride," he has said.
Ukrainian Presidency/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Volodymyr Zelenskyy
RELATED: How Ukraine's President Zelenskyy Transformed from Popular Comedian to Wartime Leader
Details of the fighting change by the day, but hundreds of civilians have already been reported dead or wounded, including children. More than two million Ukrainians have also fled, the United Nations says.
"You don't know where to go, where to run, who you have to call. This is just panic," Liliya Marynchak, a 45-year-old teacher in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, told PEOPLE of the moment her city was bombed — one of numerous accounts of bombardment by the Russians.
Watch: Women and children flee the port of Odesa, Ukraine
The invasion, ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, has drawn condemnation around the world and increasingly severe economic sanctions against Russia. Putin insists Ukraine has historic ties to Russia and he is acting in the best security interests of his country.
Peace talks between the two countries have so far proved unsuccessful, and Zelenskyy — a married Jewish father of two — has urged his country to fight back.
"Nobody is going to break us, we're strong, we're Ukrainians," he told the European Union in a speech in the early days of the fighting, adding, "Life will win over death. And light will win over darkness."
Ukrainian Presidency/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Volodymyr Zelenskyy
In an interview with Vice News published lat week from Kyiv, the Ukrainian leader said the only way to solve the war would be through "dialogue" with Putin.
"How to solve this war? Only dialogue. And only dialogue with him — he's the president of Russia," Zelenskyy told Vice.
"They came to our land, to our houses, to our children ... we didn't invite them," he said.
Asked what his message to Putin would be, Zelenskyy said: "Right now, stop the war. Begin to speak. That's it."
The Russian attack on Ukraine is an evolving story, with information changing quickly. Follow PEOPLE's complete coverage of the war here, including stories from citizens on the ground and ways to help.
