Umerov: We Passed Two Russian Defense Lines Out Of Three

The Minister of Defense of Ukraine spoke about the plans of the Ukrainian Armed Forces for 2024.

The Ukrainian military is between the second and third lines of defense of the Russians. Ukraine has a plan for the liberation of territories by 2024.

This was stated by Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov in an interview with Fox News.

Umerov said that the occupiers have three lines of defense at the front in Ukraine. According to him, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have passed the second line and are facing the third.

“We have deoccupied 50% of our territory, we are defeating Russia on our land, we have returned the territory, liberated it. Now we have a plan for 2024,” the minister said.

The head of the Ministry of Defense emphasized that reaching the 1991 borders remains a strategic victory for Ukraine. Umerov, when asked by a journalist whether a settlement is possible if the war drags on for years, replied that the civilized world should be ashamed if this happens.

“This will continue and destroy democracy. They (the Russians — edit.) believe that Ukraine and Ukrainians should not exist,” he said.

In addition, the minister will fill in about Ukraine’s plans to join NATO. According to him, all calculations for the next year, procurement and planning of operations are carried out according to NATO standards.

Umerov also commented on the corruption and procurement scandals in the Ministry of Defense. He stated that tenders, competitions and audits are currently underway. The head of the Ministry of Defense added that the department is ready to invite external auditors for cross-checking.

Russian defense lines

Earlier, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valeriy Zaluzhny, Ukrainian generals and experts noted that minefields and defensive lines had become the main obstacle to the Ukrainian counter-offensive in the south.

In September, Commander of the Tavria operational-strategic group of troops Oleksandr Tarnavsky, said that Ukrainian troops had broken through the first line of Russian defense in the Zaporizhzhia region. According to him, this was the main line of defense of the occupiers.

There was also information that Ukrainian soldiers reached the second line of defense of the Russians in the area of the settlements of Robotyne and Verbove in the Zaporizhzhia region. However, there was no information about the breakthrough there.