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Army chief breaks silence on Ukraine war article It claims to be shelling Russian bases in annexed Crimea with rockets He expects war with Russia to begin in 2023 Ukraine must match Russia’s missile range, general says
KYIV, Sept 7 (Reuters) – In rare public comments, Ukraine’s army chief warned on Wednesday of Russia’s threat to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, which would create the risk of a “limited” nuclear conflict with other powers. The war in Ukraine that began with the Russian invasion on February 24 was likely to continue into next year, General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said in an article written by lawmaker Mykhailo Zabrodskyi and published by the state-run Ukrinform news agency. The article contained by far the Ukrainian commander-in-chief’s most detailed assessment of the war to date, and it gave starkly opposite messages to those given by top Ukrainian officials. read more Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up “There is an immediate threat of use, under certain circumstances, of tactical nuclear weapons by the Russian armed forces,” Zaluzny said. “It is also impossible to completely exclude the possibility of direct involvement of the world’s leading countries in a ‘limited’ nuclear conflict, in which the prospect of World War III is already immediately visible,” the article says. Moscow has previously denied speculation of possible use of nuclear or chemical weapons.
REVERSE TIDE
Ukraine will need to match the strike range of Moscow’s weapons in order to turn the tide of war, Zaluzhnyi and Zabrodskyi wrote. “The only path to a substantial change in the strategic situation is undoubtedly a series of several successive or ideally simultaneous counterattacks by the armed forces of Ukraine during the 2023 campaign,” they said. The United States supplied the Kiev government with sophisticated long-range weapons on the condition that Ukraine would not use them to strike targets inside Russia, US officials said. The article contained Ukraine’s first acknowledgment that it was responsible for rocket attacks on Russian air bases in annexed Crimea, including one that destroyed the Saky military base last month. Until now, Ukraine has refused to publicly acknowledge its involvement, with a senior official speaking on condition of anonymity, citing fears of Russian retaliation. “We are talking about a series of successful missile strikes against the enemy’s air bases in Crimea, first of all, the Saky airfield,” the article said, using language that did not specify whether this meant unguided missiles or rockets. The Saky strike put 10 Russian warplanes “out of action” on August 9, the article said. Ukraine is not publicly known to have weapons systems in service with sufficient range to hit Saky, which is at least 200 kilometers from the front lines.
NO PEACE THIS YEAR
The tone of the article contrasts with the often optimistic statements of senior Ukrainian officials. “The duration of the war has already been measured in months, and there is every reason to believe that this time period will extend beyond 2022,” he said. Zaluzhnyi and Zabrodskyi admitted that Ukraine was “extremely unfavorable” on two eastern front lines, around the cities of Bakhmut and Izyum. Weapons procured from abroad will form the backbone of Ukraine’s defense next year, they said. “In 2023, the material basis of Ukraine’s resistance must remain a significant amount of military assistance from our partner states,” the article said. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Report by Max Hunder. additional reporting by Pavel Polityuk. Editing: Tomasz Janowski and Grant McCool Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
