Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said on Saturday that Russia – which he described as “the aggressor” – would not capture any Ukrainian cities if it tried to invade the country.
In a statement, Reznikov said “Ukraine’s armed forces are absolutely ready to fight back and will not give up Ukrainian lands” as fears of a Russian invasion grow among the country’s international allies.
In 2014, Reznikov said that Ukrainians “were not psychologically ready to resist someone they sat at the same table with yesterday”, but “the situation is completely different” now. That was the year Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in southern Ukraine, and conflict erupted between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine.
“Everyone who has looked into the eyes of our soldiers at least once is sure that there will be no repeat of 2014, the aggressor will not capture Kiev, Odessa, Kharkiv or any other city,” Reznikov said.
The Defense Minister added that Ukraine has its most powerful army in 15 years.
Lieutenant General Valery Zaluzhny, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, said in the statement that an active phase of command and exercises is underway at training camps across the country. Ukraine is “constantly increasing our defense capabilities, unit coherence and military skills,” he said.
Having beefed up its defenses for the Kiev capital and “gone through the war and proper training”, Ukraine is now “ready to face the enemies … not with flowers, but with stingers, darts and NLAW,” Zaluzhny said, referring to the weapons systems.
Reznikov added that the country was also bolstered by the “unprecedented support” it has received from international partners, describing that support as “the greatest since independence”.
He strongly criticized Moscow’s claims that “Ukraine plans to attack Russia”, calling them “absurd”.
“We are not going to attack anyone, but we are doing everything to strengthen our defense and eliminate the possibility of escalation,” Reznikov said. Ukraine plans to “follow a political and diplomatic path” to regain the temporarily occupied territories, he added.
He urged Ukrainians to “remain calm” in the face of mounting alerts, calling calm “the main weapon that can provide us with a solid foundation for defence”.
Source: CNN Brasil
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