Ukrainian General Staff accused Russia of Preparing for Large-Scale Military Aggression

Russia is preparing for a large-scale military aggression against Ukraine, as said Ukrainian Armed Forces Deputy Chief of Staff Oleksiy Taranin an interview with Tyzhden.ua. The Ukrainian armed forces are preparing to fight back aggression across the country’s border, he added. According to him, the offensive could threaten not only on the contact line in Donbas, but also on “the borders with Belarus and further near Crimea and Bessarabia (Moldova. – RBC)”. Taran specified that the plans of Russia’s preparations for the military operation are “quite obvious”. “Today we have a sufficient number of trained governing bodies that are capable of commanding troops in these important areas,” said the Deputy Head of the General Staff of Ukraine. He also noted that Ukraine, starting in 2014, has been increasing the ability of military units to “repulse full-scale armed aggression” from Russia. “The result can be seen on the map: the contact line is stabilized, further aggressor’s advance deep into the territory is impossible,” added Taran. In late September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking at the 74th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, accused Russia of aggression. As confirmation of his words, he mentioned a story of the opera singer Vasil Slipak, who became a member of Ukrainian volunteer groups. According to Zelensky, he died, “protecting Ukraine from Russian aggression” in Donbas. On October 1, delegations of Ukraine, the OSCE and Russia, as well as the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics approved the Steinmeier formula. The document determines the procedure for conducting local elections in the LPR and the DPR and granting a special status to Donbass. Zelensky said later that he was not going to grant Donbas political autonomy within the framework of a special status. According to him, to end the conflict in southeastern Ukraine, it is necessary to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. RBC