Some misunderstand what victory means — Ukrainian officer

Andrii Illienko, an officer with the 3rd Svoboda Battalion of Ukraine's National Guard, stated this on Espreso TV.

"The only alternative to victory is defeat. But some people don’t fully understand what victory means. Some probably think victory is a parade in Vladivostok. Maybe that will happen someday, but for now our task is to preserve the Ukrainian nation, the Ukrainian state, and to prevent the genocide of the Ukrainian nation. If we succeed at this stage — and I'm confident we will — then that is already a victory," Illienko explained.

According to the officer, the strategic victory in the long run is the destruction of the Moscow empire — because as long as the Moscow empire exists, Ukraine remains under threat.

“But the very fact of preserving the Ukrainian state and nation is already a victory; it is a tactical victory. And the strategic victory is the complete elimination of Moscow’s imperialism,” Illienko emphasized.

• Diplomat Volodymyr Ohryzko said that for Putin to understand that only a deepening catastrophe lies ahead for Russia, a few hundred long‑range precision strike systems are needed. Therefore, the campaign should start with Crimea and then move to strikes deeper inside Russia.