Ukraine announced on Monday that it is mobilizing a force of one million armed with Western weapons to retake southern regions captured by Russia in the current war.
The Ukrainian: “The order came from the top of the political pyramid in Ukraine, where President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is eager to revive the occupied territories on the Black Sea border, as they are economically important to the country.” Alexey Reznikov, the country’s defense minister, told the British newspaper “The Times”.
He explained: “Zelensky gave the green light to the High Military Command to prepare plans in this field, before the command came to the conclusion of what is needed to carry out these plans.”
The development comes as fighting has seen Ukrainian forces advance in the south, particularly in Kherson province, which fell to Russian forces in the first weeks of the war.
The Ukrainian military said it “recaptured the town of Ivanyukka as part of a counteroffensive in Kherson province.”
In a move that shows its intention to revive the province, Kyiv has asked the residents of Kherson to leave, which means more intense fighting is on the way.
On the other hand, Ukraine’s defense minister said his task is “to write to our counterparts in partner countries and the generals talk about why we need this type of weapon before making a political decision.”
He appreciated the help of his Western counterparts, especially British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, in modernizing and improving the weapons of the Ukrainian army.
However, Alexei Reznikov criticized what he said was the slow pace of arms shipments to his country.
Source: Lebanon Debate
