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War with Russia will be over by…: Ukraine's deputy defence minister predicts

Russia-Ukraine War: On peace talks with Russia, Volodymyr Havrylov said that it would only happen when Russian troops are ready to leave every inch of Ukraine.

Published on: Nov 19, 2022, 14:09:54 IST
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Ukrainian forces could be back in Crimea by the end of December and the entire war with Russia will be over by the spring, Ukrainian deputy defence minister said. Volodymyr Havrylov, a retired major general told Sky News his country will never stop fighting until victory.

Russia-Ukraine War: Ammunition boxes lay outside a destroyed school on the outskirts of a recently liberated village outskirts of Kherson. (AP)
Russia-Ukraine War: Ammunition boxes lay outside a destroyed school on the outskirts of a recently liberated village outskirts of Kherson. (AP)

Asserting that he believed the probability of an atomic attack by Russia is low, the minister said, "Yeah, it would be drama. For everybody it will be just - God knows what scenario - but it [a tactical nuclear strike] is not [a] threat which will stop us from... continuing our war."

Read more: Russian soldier flees Vladimir Putin's army, wants to testify: ‘Never thought…’

On peace talks with Russia, Volodymyr Havrylov said that it would only happen when Russian troops are ready to leave every inch of Ukraine, including Crimea that Russian president Vladimir Putin seized in 2014.

"There is a decision inside the society in Ukraine that we are going up to the end," he said in London during a trip to the UK this week. It doesn't matter what kind of scenario is on the table. People paid a lot of blood, a lot of efforts to what we have already achieved. And everybody knows that any delay or frozen conflict is only the continuation of this war against the existence of Ukraine as a nation," the minister said.

Read more: Half of Ukraine's energy grid damaged, Kyiv could see shutdown: Top updates

On Ukraine's recent successes in the battlefield, Volodymyr Havrylov said, "It's only a matter of time and, of course, we would like to make it sooner than later."

"I think Russia can face a black swan in their country, inside Russia and it can contribute to the success of us with Crimea," the minister said.

There was "also a military option as well with some kind of combination of forces, resources and something else", he added, saying, “We can step in Crimea, for example, by the end of December. Possible, possible. Not excluded that it be so.”

  • Mallika Soni
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Mallika Soni

    When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, "What is the purpose of journalism in society?"

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