Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Oleksandr Turchynov said Friday that Ukraine is prepared to mobilize its troops if Russia launches a major offensive.
According to Interfax Ukraine, Turchynov said the accumulation of "Russian-terrorist forces near the line of contact" and the increasing attacks on Ukrainian forces during the last week point to Russia’s intention to break the Minsk agreement, made in February.
Interfax Ukraine reports:
"I want to say that if Russia disrupts the implementation of the Minsk agreements (which sadly it is currently doing), naturally, we will act according to the challenges that our country is facing. If there is more active use of Russian troops, obviously, we will have to declare martial law and a more powerful mobilization of the full potential that exists in the country," [Turchynov] told reporters at a training range in Kyiv region on Friday. […]
"That’s why we are preparing not only to repel an attack, but also to hold a counter-offensive in case of an attack," he said, adding that Ukraine is ready to repulse the enemy’s offensive.
"We see how the dynamics of the attacks on our positions is increasing. There were 153 attacks yesterday. This number of attacks on our positions in effect fits active military action," Turchynov said.
"We are now on active defense in the anti-terrorist operation sector, we are fulfilling all the requirements of the Minsk protocol, we have withdrawn heavy weapons and artillery to the distance envisaged in the protocol. However, we will actively react and appropriately respond in the event of any provocations," he said.
Turchynov’s remarks come at the end of a week of heavy fighting and cease-fire violations in Ukraine.
Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs commented on the tense situation on Tuesday, writing that Ukrainian authorities were not cooperating, counter to Turchynov’s claims of Ukrainian withdrawal. The report says that Ukraine is threatening to restore the weapons they withdrew in February in accordance with the Minsk agreement.
"We are calling on the Ukrainian side to display restraint and not to violate the implementation of the Minsk Agreements on security by their irresponsible actions," the website says.
Rotislav Ishchenko, President of the Moscow Center for Systems Analysis and Prediction, is wary that war will come soon.
"Sooner or later combat will begin, because there is no other way to solve this situation. And to this both sides are readying themselves. Some experts say that the war will begin in October. I think earlier: at the end of August, the beginning of September," he said.