Ukraine’s former head of Intelligence: "We can now prepare for strategic operations"

"In the coming months, the Armed Forces of Ukraine can start winning in strategic directions: first in the south, then in the east. It will be possible to liberate Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and then Luhansk and Donetsk regions," former head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine (2005-2010) General Mykola Malomuzh told Glavred, e-huquq.az informs, citing UNIAN.

According to him, all achievements depend on how effectively the Ukrainian troops will provide strategic defense: "If we can get more weapons, we will push the enemy out of our southern and partly eastern territories in August. This is absolutely realistic. In addition to the latest weapons and equipment, staff training should also be at a high level."

The general said that Russia is trying to strengthen their positions in Donetsk: "They also have their own plans. The Russians want to reach the administrative borders not only of Luhansk but also of the Donetsk regions. After that, they intend to bring up the issue of negotiations. We already have nearly 1 million mobilized and highly motivated, trained military personnel. Having the opportunity to send these soldiers into battle with the state-of-the-art weapons and equipment, we can now prepare for strategic operations. As for the possibility of reaching the borders of 1991 next year, as the Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, announced in advance, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have the opportunity to completely liberate Donbas and Crimea, including Sevastopol."

Malomuzh stressed that it will be more challenging to liberate Crimea because it has become a real battleship: "The liberation of Crimea will be possible only when Russia fails on the southern and eastern fronts of Ukraine when Putin's regime starts to collapse when a massive withdrawal of Russian troops begins, and when panic begins not only among the Russian military, but also among Russian citizens, and most importantly when trust in Putin among the Russian elite starts to decline. It is difficult but possible."