Deputy Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Serhiy Kryvonos says any Russian military drills, in particular in occupied Crimea, may turn into an "active phase of hostilities."
"When the headquarters and the mobilization base are prepared – and they are already prepared in Crimea, these forces, acting under the guise of reservists, may first arrive for training, and the training may then turn into an active phase of hostilities. This happens very quickly. It's still training this morning, and tomorrow morning, it's the beginning of aggression," he told the Krym.Realii news outlet, commenting on a possible incursion by Russia into Ukrainian territory.
Read alsoUkraine's JFO HQ updates on ongoing truce in Donbas
At the same time, Kryvonos assured Ukraine is ready for any threats.
"All the threats that may exist have been worked out by the General Staff long ago, and these issues are constantly being reviewed. And such plans exist. And our troops are also being trained to counter [the threats]," he said.
However, according to the official, Ukraine should clearly understand that in case of aggression it should rely mainly on itself.
"We must clearly understand we are alone on the battlefield and we do not have many countries that support us," Kryvonos said.
"We are supported by the Baltic states, Poland, since they understand the threat posed by Russia, and they understand we are now allies of them – we must support [each other]. We are supported by Great Britain, which understands such a threat from Russia, as well as [Ukraine is backed by] the United States, Canada, and Japan. Other European countries are dancing to Russia's tune," he added.
As UNIAN reported earlier, the Caucasus 2020 military drills in Russia are scheduled for September.
