In an interview with FRANCE 24, a top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky slammed Russian President Vladimir Putin's Victory Day speech in Moscow on Tuesday, saying Putin celebrated the 1945 victory against the Nazis even while "attacking Kyiv", referring to a barrage of cruise missiles lobbed at the Ukrainian capital overnight. Mykhailo Podolyak went on to say that any Ukrainian counter-offensive would include attempts to retake Crimea and the occupied territories of the Donbas region.
Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, spoke to FRANCE 24 from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, which was once again hit by Russian missiles overnight.
"Russian politicians are celebrating the victory in 1945 on Red Square and yet they're still attacking Kyiv, a peaceful city," Podolyak said. "Russia is waging war against a civilian population."
Counter-offensive will include 'liberation of Crimea and parts of Donbas'
Ukrainian authorities have been saying since early spring that a counter-offensive is imminent. "To avoid having Russia rearming, regrouping and remobilising its troops, we need to keep pushing forward so we can bring this war to an end as soon as possible," Podolyak said, adding that "a protracted war will only benefit Russia".
The counter-offensive will include the liberation of "territories in the Crimean peninsula and areas of the Donbas region occupied in 2014", he said, referring to Russia's illegal annexation and occupation of Ukrainian territories eight years before its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Wagner boss's remarks 'clearly reflect' dissent
Podolyak believes that an effective counter-offensive would force the Russians to abandon their positions and hopefully bring about "some level of political change in Russia".
He said Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin's recent criticism of the Russian defence establishment illustrates that there are stark divisions in Russia's military apparatus. After threatening to leave Bakhmut, where Wagner is fighting Ukrainian forces, Prigozhin railed against the Russian army and the state on Tuesday, accusing Moscow's top generals of trying to "deceive" Putin over the war.
For Podolyak, these remarks "clearly reflect" the dissent within the Russian establishment as well as the conflict between the Russian defence ministry and Prigozhin.
"If we (Ukraine) can win some strategic battles against the Russian army, that will further exacerbate the conflict within the Russian elite," he concluded.
Podolyak emphasised that European security is also at stake in the war. If the status quo continues in Russia, he said, it will "continue to carry out blackmail activities, terrorism, political assassinations and continue to fund radical movements throughout Europe".
