Valentina Matviyenko, president of Russia’s senate, declined Wednesday to set deadlines for Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine, which began 301 days ago.
“The goals and objectives of the special military operation have been set. It will end when they are achieved,” said Matviyenko. during a live televised press conference quoted by the Spanish agency EFE.
Matviyenko said it was “incorrect to talk about specific dates” for the special military operation, the official name Russia uses to refer to the war that began in Ukraine on February 24 this year.
“When the decision was made to launch a special military operation, dates and deadlines were not initially respected,” said the president of the Russian senate.
Matviyenko also believed that the Russian military offensive was “the only possible way to protect Russia’s security”.
The Russian leader also denied plans for another general mobilization after Kiev suggested Russia is considering sending more soldiers to Ukraine and even trying to capture the capital.
Russian President Vladimir Putin “has said no new mobilization is needed,” Matviyenko assured.
“Frankly, the issue has not been raised or discussed. It is not on the agenda,” he added, quoted by the Spanish agency Europa Press.
Matviyenko responded Monday to statements by Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov about the possibility of Moscow ordering a general mobilization and attempting a new offensive on Kiev.
“We do not rule out that they will declare a general mobilization,” Danilov said in an interview with the digital newspaper Ukrainska Pravda.
“I want everyone to understand that [os russos] they have not renounced the idea of destroying our nation. If they don’t control Kiev, they don’t control anything, we have to understand that,” Danilov said.
On the battlefield, Russia announced today that it has taken up new positions in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
“As part of the offensive actions, Russian troops occupied new high areas and dominant lines towards Donetsk,” said Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov.
The spokesman also said Russian troops killed “more than 80 Ukrainian servicemen” and destroyed a tank and three infantry vehicles, according to the Russian news agency TASS.
Donetsk has been one of the main centers of hostilities in recent weeks.
On September 30, Russia announced the annexation of Donetsk and Lugansk, the two regions that make up the Donbass in eastern Ukraine.
Moscow-backed pro-Russian separatists from Donetsk and Lugansk have been at war with Kiev since 2014.
Days before the invasion of Ukraine, Russia recognized the Donbass separatists’ declaration of independence and used a request for help from the two self-proclaimed people’s republics as one of the justifications for the military operation.
In addition to Donetsk and Lugansk, Moscow also announced the annexation of the regions of Kherson and Zaporijia, where Europe’s largest nuclear power plant is located.
The announcement of the annexations, not recognized by Kiev or the international community at large, was made despite Russia controlling only part of each of the four regions.
Russia had already annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014.
Source: DN
