Andriy Yusov told Kyiv Post that the Ukrainian capital should prepare for many more attacks, but the future for Putin and Lukashenko does not look bright at all.
In an exclusive interview, representative of Ukraine’s military intelligence, Andriy Yusov, said the coming months will be “extremely tense,” but the Kremlin’s efforts would ultimately be unsuccessful.
“A full-scale war is underway, and the coming months will be extremely tense with events along the entire frontline, including the actions of Putin's terrorist regime, which will attempt to continue strikes with different targets,” he said.
“They will try to complicate the offensive actions of the Ukrainian defense forces and demoralize society, but they will not succeed in doing so in the past.”
Russia has drastically stepped up its attacks on Kyiv over the last month – a new analysis by Kyiv Post found Moscow’s forces fired more than 500 missiles and kamikaze drones during May, at a cost of $1.7 billion. Nearly 90 percent of them were destroyed by Ukrainian air defenses.
“Just as they lost the missile blitzkrieg in the winter when they tried to plunge Ukraine into a blackout, the same thing awaits them this time,” Yusov said.
“The capabilities of our air defense are growing, as are the capabilities of our air forces and the professionalism of our military.”
Ahead of Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive, Yusov said Ukrainian military intelligence had been closely monitoring Russian defense preparations, saying as they have had almost six months to dig in, “we need to take them seriously.”
“It includes fortification and engineering works by the occupiers and the dispersal of special equipment across the territory,” he said but added: “There are no surprises for us here.
“The command is closely monitoring the situation, and we have information from both us and our partners.
“All of this is considered in preparing future actions of the Ukrainian security and defense forces.”
READ MORE: ‘We Know Where Putin and Prigozhin are Often in Real-Time’ – Ukrainian Intel
Yusov also painted a grim picture of the future facing Putin and his dictatorial counterpart in Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, saying in reference to the recent incursion into the Belgorod region of Russia by pro-Ukrainian Russians:
“The dictator's worst dreams are uprisings and color revolutions, popular uprisings of citizens tired of old criminals,” he said. “Putin is also very afraid of this, and so are other dictators.
“Lukashenko's situation is complicated: on the one hand, he understands the catastrophic nature of getting involved in the war in Ukraine and is trying to avoid it, and as we can see, he is quite successful, but Putin is pushing.
“The main threat to any destabilization in Belarus is not Ukraine, not the EU, not NATO, but the Putin regime.”
Watch the full interview above or read the transcript below…
In what other countries does the Ukrainian military intelligence operate?
We cannot name specific countries, but since we are at war and need to protect Ukraine's interests, the country's intelligence services are working with all of them. It means, for example, the operation in Sudan by the Main Intelligence Directorate, the evacuation in Afghanistan, and many other events that we can discuss and those we cannot discuss. But if you take a globe and spin it around, there are few places where the intelligence does not operate.
Recently, Lukashenko commented that he was ready for uprisings and the opposition was preparing something. Do you know what he is talking about?
The dictator's worst dreams are uprisings and color revolutions, popular uprisings of citizens tired of old criminals. Putin is also very afraid of this, and so are other dictators.
Lukashenko's situation is complicated: on the one hand, he understands the catastrophic nature of getting involved in the war in Ukraine and is trying to avoid it, and as we can see, he is quite successful, but Putin is pushing. The main threat to any destabilization in Belarus is not Ukraine, not the EU, not NATO, but the Putin regime.
The provocations that we have seen, including imitations of terrorist attacks and other things happening on the territory of Belarus, are due to the Putin regime. Belarus is well aware of this, but not everything can be said publicly.
Is there a chance that the Belarusian opposition will rise armed this time?
We'll see what the results are, but victory in this national liberation war for us will open up opportunities for many peoples, especially in the post-Soviet space, for a certain renaissance and protection of their civil, political, and cultural rights. First, we are talking about the indigenous peoples living in the Russian Federation, not only.
Russia is expecting a counter attack from Ukraine now. What do you think is the worst-case scenario they are considering?
To analyze Russian propaganda, the most negative scenario for them is probably the capture of Moscow and the destruction of the Kremlin. Still, the Ukrainian security and defense forces are engaged in the de-occupation and liberation of their territories. Our task, which must be fulfilled, is to return to the internationally recognized borders of 1991.
Russia's geopolitical defeat has occurred today, and the myth of a second army and a superpower has been destroyed. Now Russia is a dependent regional power that claims to be a vassal of China at most. China has now strengthened its position enormously. Many myths have been destroyed by this war and by Ukraine's heroic struggle.
Now it's a matter of consolidation, formal results that will be negative and devastating for the Putin regime and lead to a transformation within Russia. Russian elites understand this is a strategic defeat and there is no way out. To be more precise, there could still be one if tomorrow, say, the withdrawal of the occupation forces from Ukraine, negotiations on compensation for all losses, and the extradition of war criminals begin. We understand that the Kremlin is not yet ready for this.
What is happening to the partisan’s movement in the territories occupied by Russia? Are they preparing for our counter-offensive to act together?
It depends on who you mean by the term partisans. If it's some kind of organized military underground controlled from Kyiv, then no, we are operating on the territory of Ukraine and will not comment on what is happening there. If these are resistance forces in the Russian Federation itself, Russian citizens, such as we saw in the Belgorod region, who are ready to liberate their own country to save their future from Putin's dictatorial regime, then yes, such people exist, and such networks are developing. The geography and scale of such actions will grow.
What kind of work schedule you have, whether you have any rest, and how you deal with stress?
Our schedule is not normal, as for rest, when we have the opportunity, of course, but after the victory, we will all rest.
What should Kyiv expect in the summer? What scale will Russia's attacks be?
Russia is a terrorist state, and Putin's regime will continue to attempt attacks, including missile strikes and the use of drones on the territory of Ukraine. It is the reality we are in. Ukraine understands this, and our partners understand this. Accordingly, the capabilities of our air defense are growing, as are the capabilities of our air forces and the professionalism of our military. The fact that the most recent strikes on Kyiv have had the best results regarding destroyed targets is a good indicator.
A full-scale war is underway, and the coming months will be extremely tense with events along the entire frontline, including the actions of Putin's terrorist regime, which will attempt to continue strikes with different targets. They will try to complicate the offensive actions of the Ukrainian defense forces and demoralize society, but they will not succeed in doing so in the past. Just as they lost the missile blitzkrieg in the winter when they tried to plunge Ukraine into a blackout, the same thing awaits them this time.
Russia will build its defense lines and prepare for our counter-offensive. After the raid by Russian volunteers, have they started to redeploy resources to defend Russia’s territories?
Yes, they are preparing, the preparations have been going on for almost six months, and we need to take them seriously. It includes fortification and engineering works by the occupiers and the dispersal of special equipment across the territory. Accordingly, these factors are taken into account by both the military and political leadership. The command is closely monitoring the situation, and we have information from both us and our partners. All of this is considered in preparing future actions of the Ukrainian security and defense forces. Therefore, there are no surprises for us here.
As for the actions of the occupiers, yes, the events in the Belgorod region came as a shock to them. Of course, they are forced to respond to this by preparing to redeploy combat units from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. At the same time, they are considering options to provide weapons to the militia, but new threats and concerns are emerging. How much can they be trusted and how safe it will be, and whether these weapons will not be turned against the regime itself?
For example, I have seen a comment from the Russian armed opposition: "Take weapons if they will give. Let's liberate the Kremlin together!"
And this is in contrast to the fact that everyone saw the footage of Kyiv residents being handed out weapons literally on the streets. There was a clear understanding that these weapons would kill the occupiers and defend Ukraine. Ukraine is not afraid to provide its people with such means to defend the country at a critical moment, unlike the Putin regime, which is afraid. One of his biggest fears is that the population will wake up and do to him what should have been done to any other dictator long ago.
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