Zelensky describes Russian attack as 'pure Nazi behaviour' in appeal to American Jews

Ukrainian PresidentVolodymr Zelenskyappealed to American Jews for support onMonday with an unsparing account of Russian destruction in hiscountry that he compared to the Nazi German army marching acrossEurope.

"This is just a pure Nazi behaviour. I can't even qualifythis in any different manner," Zelensky told an umbrellagroup, the Conference of Presidents of American JewishOrganizations, as he continued to press for more fighter planesfrom the West and a no-fly zone that NATO has so far rejected.

Zelensky ran through a list of the cities and towns he saidhad been destroyed by Russian forces, while outnumberedUkrainians were fighting with everything they had, even whenthey had no weapons.

"They are throwing themselves under the tanks just for youto understand what's happening here," the Ukrainian leader, whois Jewish, said in a Zoom call.

The Russians are not letting people leave towns and citiesthey have attacked, are not allowing food and water to bebrought in and are disconnecting the internet, television andelectricity, he said.

"All of this happened during Nazi times," he said. "Thesurvival of the Ukrainian nation the question will be the sameas antisemitism.... All of these millions of people are goingto be exterminated."

Zelensky says bakery, pediatric hospital bombed

Zelensky said 13 people died in the bombing of a bakery inKyiv on Monday and on Sunday, 50 children with cancer had to bemoved after a missile hit a pediatric hospital in the city.

Russia calls the campaign it launched on Feb. 24 a "specialmilitary operation" to disarm Ukraine and remove leaders itdescribes as neo-Nazis. Ukraine and its allies call this apretext for an invasion to conquer the nation of 44 million.

The scope and scale of the Russian assault on his countrywas as unexpected and devastating as the Sept. 11, 2001, attackswere for Americans, he said.

"They're bombing the life out of everything that is moving," Zelensky told the group.

WATCH | Trudeau says new sanctions target Putin's inner circle:

Trudeau announces new sanctions against 10 Russians

3 years ago

Duration 2:42

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced new sanctions on 10 individuals he described as complicit in Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He made the announcement during a trilateral meeting in London with the prime ministers of the U.K. and the Netherlands.