Ukrainian commander defends his country’s right to strike Russian territory

Ukraine’s top general Valery Zaluzhny says his country will do ‘whatever it takes’ to win the war (Picture: AP)

Ukraine’s top general has suggested his country may soon start conducting strikes in Russian territory- using Ukrainian-made weapons.

In a recent interview with the Washington Post, Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief General Valery Zaluzhny defended his army’s right to strike Russian soil with their own domestically-produced munitions and expressed frustration at the red lines imposed on the AFU by its western allies.

‘To save my people, why do I have to ask someone for permission what to do on enemy territory?’ He told the WP.

‘For some reason, I have to think that I’m not allowed to do anything there. Why? Because Putin will … use nuclear weapons? The kids who are dying don’t care.’

The outspoken general has expressed frustration with the restrictions placed on weapons supplied by Kyiv’s western allies (Picture: Reuters)

One of the key conditions imposed on Ukraine by its western allies when providing them with arms was that Kyiv doesn’t use their weaponry to strike targets inside Russia due to fears of further escalation. 

To date, despite a number of strikes taking place on Russian territory, Kyiv has rarely claimed responsibility for the attacks.

But according to Zaluzhny, this could soon change.

‘If our partners are afraid to use their weapons, we will kill with our own. But only as much as is necessary.’

He added: ‘This is our problem, and it is up to us to decide how to kill this enemy. It is possible and necessary to kill on its territory in a war.’

Despite being told by allies that they have enough heavy weapons to conduct their counteroffensive, Zaluzhny said Ukraine still lacks the necessary resources to liberate all the occupied territories and minimise casualties.

The general criticised those who say Ukraine doesn’t need F-16 fighter jets, and said that Kyiv’s Western allies would never fight like this.

Zaluzhny also reiterated Ukraine’s goal to liberate Russian-occupied Crimea despite concerns over Putin’s potential response voiced by some Western officials.

‘As soon as I have the means, I’ll do something. I don’t give a damn — nobody will stop me,’ he said.

Elsewhere in the interview, the army commander claimed to ‘eagerly’ read everything written by Russia’s top general Valerey Gerasmiov, which he described as ‘very, very interesting’, before lamenting the fact that ‘he hasn’t published anything lately’.

‘He is an enemy — an enemy who is very smart,’ Zaluzhny said.

‘Smart and therefore devious. He is still strong. So you have to respect him as such and look for ways to kill him. Because that is the only way to win.’

‘If our partners are afraid to use their weapons, we will kill with our own.’