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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky played Congress a heart-breaking video of the toll Russia’s war has wrought on his nation as he begged for more help from the US on Wednesday.
“I ask you to watch one video — video of what the Russian troops did in our country,” Zelensky told lawmakers who gave him a standing ovation both before and after his landmark virtual address.
Over heart-tugging classical strings, the graphic footage showed Ukraine’s historic cities in happier times — interspersed with some of the most harrowing moments of death and destruction inflicted by invading forces.
The montage showed administration buildings and civilian apartment blocks exploding and engulfed in flames from repeated deadly airstrikes, including the horror of a Mariupol maternity hospital getting blown apart, killing women and children a week ago.
The footage also showed the overwhelming trauma for children caught in the war, crying as they were forced to flee their homeland — or worse still, from being mortally injured in airstrikes and shootings.
Children were among some of the dead bodies shown in the clip, with medical workers weeping at the helplessness of trying to save some.
Other bodies were shown still prone in the streets — or being thrown into mass graves dug to cope with the dead in Mariupol, where local leaders insist the tally is in the thousands.
“This is murder,” the video stated at one point.
“We have to prevent it. We must stop it,” Zelensky told the lawmakers just before airing the clip.
The video was called “close the sky over Ukraine” — a constant plea from Ukraine to help stop the barrage of missiles.
“President Biden, you are the leader of your great nation. I wish you to be the leader of the world — being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace,” Zelensky said.
The 44-year-old leader had cited Pearl Harbor and the Sept. 11 terror attacks as he told lawmakers, “We need you right now.”
“I call on you to do more,” he said.
“Today the Ukrainian people are defending not only Ukraine — we are fighting for the values of Europe and the world,” he said.
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