Minister of Defence: Several very difficult weeks ahead of Ukraine

Denys Karlovskyi – Wednesday, 27 April 2022, 19:55

Oleksiy Reznikov, Minister of Defence of Ukraine, said Ukrainians should brace for several weeks of heavy fighting due to the large-scale offensive Russian troops are preparing to launch in Donbas.

Source: Oleksiy Reznikov on Facebook

According to Reznikov: "We have several extremely difficult weeks ahead of us. The implementation of agreements [with Ukraine’s international partners], training [of military personnel], and logistics all take time. Meanwhile, Russia has already gathered strength for a large-scale offensive in eastern Ukraine.

Aid for Ukraine will grow, but in the coming days we will need all our resilience and extraordinary unity.

The enemy is already aware of its strategic defeat but will still try to inflict as much pain on us as possible. Unfortunately, we will lose more of our soldiers before the victory. There will be more destruction and painful losses.

We have to endure. And we will endure!

For the sake of those who fought for a free Ukraine in different eras. For the sake of the defenders of Mariupol, Kharkiv, Izium, Rubizhne, Sumy, Chernihiv, and the heroes from other cities who have won and continue to win time for Ukraine. For the sake of future generations.

We will free our land. We will return our people.

Ukraine will win! Now we are not alone in this confidence."

Details: Reznikov said that during a meeting on the US military base in Ramstein, Germany, the Ministers of Defence of Ukraine’s partner-states expressed complete support with regard to increasing the quantity and quality of military aid to Ukraine.

According to Reznikov, the partner-states’ willingness to supply more modern weapons, which are essentially equivalent to those of the NATO member states, testifies to the West’s belief in the certainty of Ukraine’s victory over Russia.

In particular, Ukraine’s Western partners have already started supplying 155mm calibre artillery, which is the main artillery calibre of the NATO member states’ armies. In the future, this will ensure full interoperability and the possibility of coordinated action between the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the armies of NATO members.

In addition, Reznikov said that during the training of Ukrainian military by instructors from NATO member states Ukrainians hit the target with new artillery on the first attempt and were even able to advise on how the control system can be improved. According to the Minister, this made a fitting impression on Ukraine’s partners.

Background:

• American journalists reported that the United States and NATO members want to inflict so much damage on the Russian army in Ukraine that it will not be able to launch a full-scale invasion of neighbouring countries for many years after 2022.
• The US has set up a coordination centre at the Ramstein Air Base to monitor arms supplies to Ukraine.
• On 22 April, Russian military leadership publicly announced that their main goals were to capture the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine from Odesa and Transnistria to Kharkiv.