Maintaining land corridor to Crimea remains Russia’s short-term objective – Venislavskyi

The relevant statement was made by Member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence Fedir Venislavskyi during a briefing at Ukraine Media Center, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“They still have a short-term strategic objective, which has been declared since the early days of the war and which was reported to us by the Main Intelligence Directorate a few months before the invasion started. It is to maintain a land corridor between temporarily occupied Crimea and Russia via Luhansk Region, Donetsk Region, Zaporizhzhia Region and Kherson Region,” Venislavskyi told.

In his words, according to the data from the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Russian troops minimized fire attacks on Ukrainian defense positions in Zaporizhzhia Region and Kherson Region and focused efforts to build fortification structures, which would significantly complicate Ukraine’s counterattack and the liberation of Ukrainian territories.

According to Venislavskyi, Ukraine needs heavy weapons to undermine the enemy’s efforts, namely long-range artillery and multiple launch rocket systems.

Venislavskyi stressed that Ukraine’s military and political leadership are working to receive such weapons from international partners.