Ukraine’s war has entered ‘protracted phase’

Ukraine’s defence minister, Oleksiy Reznikov, has stated that the country’s continuing conflict has entered a lengthy phase.

“Russia is preparing for a long-term military operation,” Reznikov warned in a speech to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and European Union defence ministers on Tuesday.

According to Reznikov, the Russian military is presently constructing fortifications in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson districts in preparation for a possible defence.

In his speech on Tuesday, the defence minister also stated that the Kremlin’s main efforts were aimed at “encircling and destroying groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions; creating and maintaining a land corridor from Russia to Crimea; and completing the occupation of southern Ukraine.”

He urged Ukraine’s Western partners to coordinate weaponry transfers to the country more closely.

Oleksiy Reznikov’s remarks come as Russia attempts to fully rule Ukraine’s east and south, according to a report by the AFP news agency on Tuesday.

Only a few days ago, a US defence official claimed that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine’s east and south was two weeks behind schedule.

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