KYIV, Ukraine, 16 June (Reuters) – According to Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar, Russia’s strategic purpose in the war in Ukraine is to completely destroy Ukrainian sovereignty and the Ukrainian nation.
She told a briefing that the situation for Ukrainian forces remained challenging, and that Russia’s main priority currently was on gaining full control over the eastern Ukrainian areas of Luhansk and Donetsk.
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“Russia’s main strategic, military-political and military-economic goals as regards our state remain the complete destruction of Ukrainian statehood and the (Ukrainian) nation, as well as the destruction of the military and economic foundations of our state,” Malyar said.
She said Russia’s military goals also included the destruction of weapons and equipment sent to Ukraine by its foreign partners, and damaging transport infrastructure used to transport military and civilian goods.
Further military action would depend on what resources Ukraine has at its disposal, she said, in an apparent reference to Ukrainian requests for its allies to provide it with more arms.
Russia did not immediately comment on Malyar’s remarks.
Moscow says its “special military operation” is intended to disarm and “denazify” its neighbour. Ukraine and the West say Russia launched an unprovoked war of aggression.
