Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Photo: Dazhi Image/Archyde.com.
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has caused a large number of innocent civilian casualties. The Russian side has always insisted that “it did not attack civilians”, but it has repeatedly changed its external statement of “military objectives” due to setbacks in its aggressive actions. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov admitted on the 20th that Moscow’s military targets in Ukraine are no longer concentrated in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. significance”.
According to a report by Archyde.com, the Russian army tried unsuccessfully to seize the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in the early days of the war. On March 25, it announced the completion of the first phase of the special military operation, and then focused on the “liberation of Donbass”. Now the Russian army has captured Donbass. Luhansk, one of the two regions, is still far from occupying the other, Donetsk, but the Russian army has intensified its missile attacks across Ukraine in recent weeks, and Lavrov “doesn’t even act. ”, indicating that the Russian army’s goals are no longer limited to Udong.
In an interview with RIA Novosti on the 20th, Lavrov claimed that Russia’s military mission in Ukraine is no longer limited to the Donbas region, which is the clearest acknowledgement to date that the target of aggression has expanded. Lavrov also threatened that if the West wants the situation to deteriorate further and continues to provide Ukraine with long-range weapons, such as the U.S. high-mobility multiple rocket system “HIMARS” (HIMARS), then the scope of the Russian military offensive will be deeper.
Lavrov mentioned that although Moscow’s goal of “denazification and demilitarization” of Ukraine remains unchanged, the “geographical” situation has changed since the talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul, Turkey, in March this year. “The geography is different now. Not only the Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) and the Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR), but also Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and some other regions,” he said. ”
Lavrov pointed out that if the West continues to “indoctrinate” Ukraine with weapons, Russia’s “geographical targeting will move further from the existing line”. “We cannot allow (Ukrainian President) Volodymyr Zelensky or anyone who replaces him to control future areas of Ukraine with weapons that would pose a direct threat to our territory and those of the declared independent republics. “
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on the same day that the U.S. will ship four additional Seamaster systems to Ukraine. “(We) will continue to seek creative ways to maintain our long-term support for the brave men and women of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and we will adjust our aid to ensure Ukraine has The technology, ammunition and firepower needed for self-defense.”