By KYIV. Dec 15 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Kremlin wants to turn an armed conflict into a long-lasting armed confrontation, the main strategic goals of the enemy are seizure of the entire territory of Ukraine and prevention of its Euro-Atlantic integration, Deputy Head of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), Brigadier General Oleksiy Hromov has said.
"The Kremlin realizes that it is unable to win the war in the short term. That is why it is trying to turn the conflict into a long-lasting armed confrontation aimed at exhaustion of Ukraine and our partners," he told a press briefing at the Military Media Center on Thutsday.
The enemy keeps the psychological and economic pressure on Ukraine, first of all, by striking the energy infrastructure, with the aim of forcing Ukraine to negotiations as well as taking a strategic pause in order to restore and accumulate its forces, Hromov said.
"In the short-term perspective, the enemy will focus its main efforts on carrying out its strategic task of taking full control over Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine," he said.
