17 August 2022, Wednesday, 16:38 632

"Freezing" War In Ukraine Not Possible - Rieznikov

Редактор: Tetiana Herasimova

Defense Minister Oleksii Rieznikov believes that currently in Ukraine it is not possible to "freeze" the war, but it is possible to reduce the activity of hostilities.

He said this in an interview with Voice of America, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

"I don't think a freeze option is possible. A downside option is possible, depending on which season. And again, modern warfare is a war of resources. Resources, of course, are depleted on both sides, and accordingly, each side needs time to recover," he said.

Reznikov noted that Russian troops, according to various sources, have lost at least a third of their combat potential since the start of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In particular, according to him, the Russians lost 30% of their elite corps - paratroopers, marines, special forces, in particular suffered huge losses among officers and sergeants aged on average 35 years.

The Minister stressed that about 15 years were spent on their preparation.

He added that the number of enemy aircraft and helicopters that was shot down by the Armed Forces of Ukraine indicates that Russia has lost up to 1,000 pilots of various levels, which means that the lost flying elite, which can fly at night, perform certain maneuvers, and this resource also needs to be restored.

"Therefore, say, cooling the situation in terms of combat clashes is possible. I don't see freezing what people want to call "conflict" because it's not a conflict. This is war. War of survival. And we will defend ourselves in order to survive," Rieznikov concluded.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, the Russian special services were preparing the murders of the head of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense Kyrylo Budanov and Defense Minister Rieznikov.