The Ukrainian military has been preparing for five months to repel full-scale Russian aggression, said the commander of the Land Forces, Oleksandr Pavlyuk.
According to Pavlyuk, back in the fall of 2021, representatives of the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine noted a high probability of Russian aggression against the country. After analyzing the situation in the fall, he realized that the probability of a full-scale war was high.
"It was still difficult to understand its scale, but (the fact) that it would, at a minimum, capture the territory of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions was obvious. Because we analyzed the enemy's actions, its corresponding preventive measures, its intelligence functions that they performed on the territory, along the entire line of contact, along the border," he said.
“We understood that the enemy could attack not only from temporarily occupied areas, but also from Russian territory,” he explained.
"Therefore, since the fall, we have begun to take certain actions in order to successfully meet and inflict maximum damage on it. Understanding that the balance of forces and means was and will be not in our favor, but we still had no options - we had to stand our ground, because all of Ukraine was behind us. Therefore, for five months we prepared to repel full-scale aggression," Pavlyuk said.
Pavlyuk added that Ukrainian troops had been preparing to meet the enemy for five months, although the balance of power was not in Ukraine's favor.
The operational situation in eastern and southern Ukraine remains difficult, he noted, citing reports of clashes, missile and air strikes by Russian forces. These attacks have resulted in civilian casualties and significant material damage.
