Occupiers set new goals in a war with Ukraine. Donetsk, Luhansk regions, corridor to Crimea and Transnistria are among the Ukraine’s territories to be seized in the second stage of so called “special operation” in Ukraine
As Ukrinform reports, this was reported by the Kommersant newspaper quoting Deputy Commander of the Central Military District Gen Rustam Minnekayev as saying.
Read more: Top Ten Ranking of Russian Armored Vehicle Types by Numbers Lost in Ukraine War
“Since the beginning of the second phase of the special operation, which has begun just two days ago, one of the tasks of the russian army is to establish full control over Donbas and southern Ukraine. This will secure a land corridor to Crimea, as well as affect the vital facilities of the Ukrainian economy,” Gen Minnekayev told the annual meeting of the Union of Defense Enterprises of Sverdlovsk oblast.
He also added that control over the south of Ukraine could give russia another path to Transnistria, where allegedly "the facts of oppression of the russian-speaking population" have been recorded.
According to BBC, it is unclear if Gen Minnekayev's comments were officially sanctioned.
Russian defense officials told the BBC's Steve Rosenberg that they were "looking into" the general's comments, which - if confirmed - offer the first insight into russia's potential plans in the coming weeks.
The Defense Ministry of Ukraine denounced Gen Minnekayev's comments as russian "imperialism".
In a statement posted to Twitter, Ukrainian officials said russia had "acknowledged that the goal of the 'second phase' of the war is not victory over the mythical Nazis, but simply the occupation of eastern and southern Ukraine".
The Ministry predicts that the next victim of the russian aggression would be Moldova.
As Defense Express reported russians are facing non-stop military losses on Ukrainian soil. Defenders of Ukraine eliminated about 21,200 russian troops between from 24.02 to 22.04. The enemy's total combat losses included also 838 tanks, 2,162 armored fighting vehicles, 397 artillery systems, 138 multiple launch rocket systems, 69 anti-aircraft warfare systems, 176 aircraft, 153 helicopters, 1,523 motor vehicles, eight boats/cutters, 76 fuel tankers, 172 unmanned aerial vehicles, 27 special equipment units and four mobile SRBM systems.
Reminder by Defense Express:
Russia’s original invasion plan directed in particular at simultaneous seizure of Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa, with the aim to change power in Ukraine, has failed. The russian side has regrouped the major part of its troops to eastern Ukraine with the aim to occupy the entire territory of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and to secure the land corridor to Crimea across the city of Mariupol, preferably until 9 May. The large-scale ground operation in Donbas has begun. In the meantime, Russia continues launching missile and bomb strikes on military and civilian infrastructure throughout Ukraine.
Despite significant military advantage, russia failed to reach its key goals:
•Ukraine did not surrender in three days, as Kremlin was expecting. Kyiv as a political and military command centre remains intact, the russian troops were withdrawn from it;
•No big cities with the only exception of Kherson were taken. Ukraine managed to establish defense and counter-attack. As of 20 April, 934 villages and towns have been liberated. The russian troops regroup and attempt to control the already captured positions;
•No one greets russia in Ukraine. Atrocities committed by the russian troops have only reduced to zero any pro-Russian sentiments. In the towns temporarily under control of russian troops, the Ukrainian population is actively protesting against them. Anti-Russian demonstrations continue until now despite intimidations and hunt by the russian occupiers for activists, journalists and local authorities. In response to the attempts to start russian educational process in the occupied towns, many school principals and heads of education wrote a letter of resignation;
•Aggressive war against Ukraine has only confirmed that russia is the most serious threat to European security. Finland and Sweden started considering joining NATO in the next few months, which would run totally contrary to putin’s goals related to the NATO on russia’s borders when he took the decision to attack Ukraine.
Read more: Chronicle of the Russian Federation Crimes in Ukraine (February-April)
