Russia is concentrating forces and resources for a new wave of attacks on Ukrainian cities. First of all, it refers to Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Mykolayiv.
Defense Minister, Oleksiy Reznikov, wrote on Facebook after 11 days of the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people to the Russian occupiers that, nevertheless, the Ukrainian army will repulse the Russian troops everywhere.
"Russian World" is trying to suffocate the heroic city of Mariupol with a humanitarian crisis. It's not easy. The state leadership is doing everything possible and impossible to provide humanitarian corridors. After all, Russian terrorists do not keep their word. They fire at residential city blocks. They fire at civilians during the evacuation. There is no pity even for children and women, for the wounded. Even jackals do not behave like that," he wrote.
The Ukrainian army is using every minute to strengthen our defences. Every effort is made around the clock to meet the needs of our male and female defenders.
More than 140,000 Ukrainians, primarily men, have returned from Europe. Tens of thousands of people have joined the Territorial Defense Forces. Of course, some are fleeing. But the whole world sees the Ukrainian people fighting for their country. There are more than 20,000 "appeals from foreigners who are ready to come to Ukraine and defend the world from the Russian Nazis on the Ukrainian front so that the Kremlin's evil does not spread," the minister added.
Reznikov said he would not comment on the supply of weapons and ammunition - let the enemy be surprised.
Furthermore, more than 50,000 helmets and bulletproof vests have been delivered to Ukraine or contracted over the past three days.
"We "intercept" from suppliers the uniforms already sewn for the NATO countries' armies. Let our defenders be dressed differently. The main thing is to be comfortable while beating the enemy. Our soldiers in all areas of defence demonstrate high skill, destroying Russian invaders. Textbooks will tell about actions of our gunners in the Mykolaiv region and counterattacks by Ukrainian defenders of the Kharkiv and Luhansk region," he said.
Reznikov added that Ukraine is also working on receiving air and missile defence assistance from partners. However, made promises do not build up our confidence in the certainty of our victory. The Ukrainian Air Force and some Ukrposhta managers who shoot down planes with Russian war criminals make us confident.
"In the Cossack era, our ancestors ploughed the land with a sword and a musket at hand. Today, a mechanised battalion with reinforced tank companies can arm some villages with trophies. War is grief that Russia has brought to us, to homes worldwide. We lose our people every day; we remember everyone and will take revenge for everyone. Our greatest advantage over the enemy is the unity of Ukrainian society. Russia does not understand self-organisation and real trust between the government and the citizens are. It has been destroying people's freedom and dignity for decades to get a submissive population. There are more of them, it's true. They predominate at sea and in the air. So far. So far," he said.
He believes that the time when the Russian army and conscripts will start hiding in all the cellars of Russia so as not to be sent to the war with our defenders is coming very fast.
"We will return all the temporarily captured towns and villages. Kherson, Kakhovka, Melitopol, Berdyansk and Henichesk have shown that it is better for the occupiers to withdraw before it is too late," said the Minister of Defense.