The Ukrainian military has been preparing for five months to repel a full-scale Russian aggression, said the commander of the Ground Forces Oleksandr Pavlyuk.
According to Pavlyuk, as early as the fall of 2021, representatives of the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine noted the high probability of Russian aggression against the country. After analyzing the situation in the autumn, 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 least, seize the territory of Luhansk and Donetsk regions) was obvious. Because we analyzed the actions of the enemy, their respective preventive measures, their intelligence functions, which they performed on the territory, along the entire contact line, along the border," he said.
"We understood that the enemy could attack not only from the temporarily occupied areas, but also from the territory of Russia," he explained.
"Therefore, already in the fall, we began to carry out certain actions in order to successfully meet and inflict maximum damage on him. Understanding that the ratio of forces and means was and will not be in our favor, but we still had no options - we had to persevere, because the whole of Ukraine was behind us. Therefore, for five months, we were preparing to repel a full-scale aggression," Pavlyuk said.
Pavlyuk added that Ukrainian troops had been preparing to meet the enemy for five months, although the balance of forces was not in favor of Ukraine.
The operational situation in the east and south of Ukraine remains difficult, he noted, citing data on military clashes, missile and airstrikes by Russian forces. These attacks resulted in civilian casualties and significant material damage.
