Ukraine Min avers country bolstering its troops to regain southern territories from Russia

As war rages on unabated in Ukraine, the embattled country's Defence Minister stated that the government has instructed military chiefs to develop strategies for building a "million-strong" combat force armed with western weapons to reclaim the country's southern region from the invading Russian forces. Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov stated that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has instructed the Armed Forces to recapture the occupied Black Sea coast, which holds strategic significance to the country's economy. This comes after the Southern Command of Ukraine claimed that Russia has nearly six combat-ready warships with missile carriers stationed off the Black Sea coast. 

"We understand that, politically, it’s very necessary for our country. The President has given the order to the supreme military chief to draw up plans. After that the general staff are doing their homework and say to achieve this goal we need XYZ," Reznikov told the Times, as reported by The Guardian. He further noted that he has also written to his counterparts in allied countries seeking modern weapons for his troops to counter the Russian aggression. According to Reznikov, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace played a vital role in changing the strategy by providing guided multiple launch rocket systems, high-tech drones, and NATO standard artillery to Ukraine. 

Ukraine calls for more assistance from NATO partners

The Ukrainian Defence Minister claimed that he shares a "great relationship" with Wallace as well as with the UK’s Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces, James Heappey. Although Reznikov expressed satisfaction with the aid Ukraine was getting from NATO allies, he added that more aid was urgently needed in order to save the lives of Ukrainian troops. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy once again urged his Western partners to supply modern and effective air defence systems to counter Russia's aggression. 

Ukraine claims it is investigating 21,000 war crimes against Russia

It is pertinent to mention here that the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine transcended four months now. The delegations of both countries have also held several rounds of peace negotiations, however, they have failed to produce desired results so far. Meanwhile, Ukraine Prosecutor General, Iryna Venediktova claimed that her office is currently probing at least 21,000 war crimes reported against Russian troops. She claimed that her office receives reports of 200-300 such crimes on an everyday basis. 

Image: AP/Facebook/@Oleksii Reznikov