Defense Ministry Urges Ukrainians to Stay Calm and Trust the Army

Croatian President says Ukraine has no place in NATO.

The Ministry of Defense urged Ukrainians to trust their own military and stay calm, without giving in to pressure from the aggressor state. 

Anna Maliar
Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine

Various photos and alleged intelligence data have appeared in the media. Usually, data from open sources is published, including satellite images, photos and video materials. Based on this, commentators and journalists can assess the current situation and make their own assumptions and forecasts about how it will develop. Intelligence data is not made public. It is shared with a limited circle of people in the state who make the appropriate decisions on how to respond to the situation. Now about the information on a possible escalation. The invasion took place in 2014. The war began then and is in its eighth year. That is why the likelihood of escalation persists constantly, with varying intensity. The Russian Federation uses the concentration of troops near our borders primarily for political blackmail of the West and pressure on Ukraine. The tactical goal of the RF is to provoke internal division in our society, sow fear and panic, and destabilize the domestic situation.

According to her, the strategic goal is to stop Euro-Atlantic progress and establish political control over Ukraine. At present, the group of troops concentrated near the border is not sufficient for a full-scale offensive. 

The Defense Ministry recalled that three operational reports from the Joint Forces Operation are published daily, conclusions from the Main Intelligence Directorate on the situation around the border are regularly released, and consolidated analytics in video form from the Center for Operational Information are presented every Monday. The defense agency informs about the dynamics of the situation. 

Anna Maliar
Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine

Publicly exposing the enemy's plans demonstrates our readiness for them and gives diplomacy time to work on preventing their implementation. Therefore, the published scenarios — are disrupted scenarios, there is no need to fear them anymore. If the Ukrainian army were not ready to repel an attack, the aggressor would have taken advantage of this long ago. But as we see — the positions are holding. So we need to trust the Armed Forces and perceive the situation calmly. 

She recalled that since 2014 the Armed Forces of Ukraine have changed significantly. Today, the armed forces are led by combat commanders tempered in battle. 

“It will no longer be as it was in 2014. Not a single attempt by Russia to advance deep into our territory will pass without fierce resistance. Their losses will be far more tangible than they were in 2014–2015. Remember that among us are already hundreds of thousands of veterans with combat experience and millions of motivated patriots. The unbreakable core of the nation has been powerfully formed and hardened; no one will give Ukraine away. The enemy knows this well,” Maliar said. 

Appeal of the Verkhovna Rada

The Verkhovna Rada supported a draft resolution on appealing to international institutions and parliaments of foreign states regarding Russia's military blackmail against Ukraine. 

282 deputies supported the corresponding appeal. The draft was supported by all factions and groups except the Opposition Platform — For Life. 

The resolution is titled “On the Appeal of the Verkhovna Rada to the UN, the European Parliament, governments and parliaments of foreign states and parliamentary assemblies of international organizations regarding the unacceptability of military blackmail against Ukraine by the Russian Federation, which it carries out in order to prevent the implementation of Ukraine's European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations.” 

The Rada will also send the text of the appeal to the UN, the European Parliament, governments and parliaments of foreign states, and parliamentary assemblies of international organizations. 

Polish President Convenes National Security Council

Polish President Andrzej Duda is convening a National Security Council meeting on January 28 amid the situation around Ukraine and on NATO's eastern flank. 

Duda noted that there are so far no indications that anything poses a danger to Poland itself. 

Andrzej Duda
President of Poland

I want the National Security Council meeting to take place on Friday, because then consultations will also take place with other allies, in particular, I am referring to the Baltic countries. These consultations will take place during the week and should conclude on Thursday. 

He said he wants to share details about the current situation with all the most important participants in the country's political life. 

Duda said he cannot retell in detail the content of the video conference with Western leaders, but in general the conversation concerned the situation around Ukraine and the options for action by the EU and NATO if Russia resorts to new aggression. 

Czech Republic to Consider Sending Military to Ukraine

The Czech Republic does not rule out the possibility of sending military personnel to Ukraine to help counter Russian aggression, if such a request is made. 

The Czech defense minister, asked whether the country plans to send a symbolic contingent to Ukraine like Canada's, said: “No one has asked us about our military yet. If a request comes, we will consider it.” 

She confirmed that the Czech Republic plans to send 52 mm caliber artillery shells to Ukraine. 

The minister said the Czech Republic is closely monitoring the developments around Ukraine and is ready, if necessary, to accept Ukrainians if they have to flee the military conflict. According to her, Russia has a long-standing tendency to pursue its policy in Ukraine. 

Jana Černochová
Czech Minister of Defense

This is a very close country to us, a large Ukrainian community lives here, and if it goes home, we will feel that too. On the other hand, if they need to send some women and children to a safe place in the event of a conflict, the Czech Republic must also cooperate in this regard. <...> The same tendencies are seen in Georgia, Belarus, Kazakhstan — this is also from the textbook of hybrid threats, these things are connected. The Czech Republic should negotiate on these issues, because from the point of view of our economic diplomacy — there are sanctions against Russia — it is not beneficial to either side. But Russia has not taken any steps at all to change it. So far we have been told that no one at the border wants escalation of the conflict. But how it will end, no one knows. 

Statement by the President of Croatia

Croatian President Zoran Milanović said Ukraine has no place in NATO and that in the event of escalation with Russia, Zagreb will distance itself as much as possible from events. 

Responding to a question about how the country would react to the situation in Ukraine, he said: “We will have nothing to do with this. If there is an escalation, we will withdraw (from the region — ed.) the last Croatian soldier.” 

Zoran Milanović
President of Croatia

Ukraine has no place in NATO. When Ukraine changed its government, that was a movement that was not democratic, it was a coup, during which 50 people were killed. The story was such: Ukraine goes west, without asking Russia anything, and the EU awaits it with rivers of milk and banks of jelly. Ukraine still remains one of the most corrupt countries, and the EU has given Ukraine nothing. 

According to him, he will do everything in his power to prevent any involvement of Croatia in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. 

“Plenković (Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković — ed.) can threaten as much as he likes. Croatia must run from this like from a fire. Croatia will not be the firefighter here,” the Croatian president noted. 

Canada Urges Citizens to Avoid Travel to Ukraine

Canada urged its citizens to avoid travel to Ukraine and called on the families of diplomats to leave the country due to fears of an attack by Russia. 

“Avoid non-essential travel to Ukraine because of the ongoing threats from Russia and the buildup of military power in the country and around it. If you are in Ukraine, you should assess whether your presence is necessary,” the government's statement said. 

Local media report that Canadian authorities have also ordered the families of diplomatic staff to leave Ukraine due to fears of an attack by Russia. 

The Canadian government is also urging its citizens to avoid all travel to Crimea, occupied by Russia, and to the uncontrolled territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.