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Many countries ask to keep the weapons they give Ukraine a secret – Ukraine’s RNBO chief Danilov

Oleksii Danilov
Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of Ukraine’s Security and Defense Council. Credit:: Presidetial Office
Edited by: Alya Shandra
In an interview with Liga.net, National Security and Defense Council (RNBO) Secretary Oleksiy Danilov told why there are few changes on the battlefield despite the USA’s adoption of the law on Lend-Lease, how Ukraine prepared for the war, and what he thinks of the latest declarations of Ukrainian officials on how many soldiers die daily at the front and the weapons the country needs. Here is a short summary.

Lend-Lease hasn’t started yet

“We need to be grateful to countries giving us military aid. There are very many of them. Many ask to not make public the arms they give. We will thank them all after our victory,” Danilov said

Asked about modest amounts of military aid for Ukraine announced at the Rammstein-3 NATO meeting: Nobody owes us anything. If we were in NATO, the talks would be different. We don’t make a tragedy out of it. We understand that nobody will defend our country apart from us. Will they give us enough weapons? There can never be enough weapons.

About why there are few changes on the front, few changes in supplies of equipment from the USA despite the law on Lend-Lease being adopted: Lend-Lease hasn’t started yet; the start could be in July-September. But the adoption of the law is already a positive decision for Ukraine.

Russia’s goal is to destroy Ukraine

Starting from October 2021, diplomats started coming to Danilov, saying Ukraine would capitulate in 3-5 days, that concentration and filtration camps would be built, that the political leadership would be destroyed. They didn’t believe Ukraine could stand. Now they started coming back. “On 10 May, one Ambassador apologized, said I was right,” said Danilov.

Asked about whether Russia’s goal is to occupy the two easternmost Ukrainian regions where the fiercest fighting is going on, Danilov answered that Russia’s goal is to destroy Ukraine; seizing Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts can be regarded as a local step for some period. After the declarations of Medvedev and Rogozin that Ukraine must be destroyed, the situation becomes like the 1930s, with how Nazis regarded Jews.

Medvedev makes it clear the call for genocide against Ukraine came from the Kremlin

About recent Ukrainian statements about mortality at the front and weapons Ukraine needs

RNBO chief Danilov on recent declarations of Ukrainian statesmen that Ukraine suffers 200, 300, and up to 1000 casualties a day in the war: they don’t have access to real information on these losses. You can’t juggle these numbers, this is not a circus, but the lives of people.

Danilov also criticized the recent claim of Zelenskyy’s aide Mykhailo Podoliak that Ukraine needs 300 MLRS and 1000 howitzers to win. He said Podoliak is not from the army and therefore doesn’t know the real needs and can’t be making these claims. “Zaluzhnyi, [commander in chief], Reznikov [Minister of Defense], head of General Staff should be saying these things.”

How Ukraine prepared for war

On Ukraine’s readiness for war: “Were we supposed to say in November ‘There will be war, Russia will create concentration camps here’? Can you imagine the panic that would arise?” But we prepared: by curbing Russian agents of influence (pro-Russian media, pro-Russian politician Medvedchuk), securing communications, boosting cyberdefense.

We wanted Belarus to not betray us, to not allow Russian troops to move on their territory. On 22 February 2022, the Belarusian Minister of Defense, and on 23 February, the Border Service chief promised Ukraine this wouldn’t happen. It was very disappointing for us when Russian troops moved from Belarus, Danilov said.

Danilov on sensational RNBO decisions every Friday before 24 February: these were evenings of preparing for war. 90% of our decisions concerned exactly that. We had to eliminate Russian influence in many directions, sometimes publicly state names.

Yevhen Murayev, who UK intelligence named as a possible candidate for quisling ruler of Ukraine, is either in Moscow or Vienna. Vienna became a hiding spot for Russian agents, there are historical reasons for this, it’s teeming with them – RNBO chief Danilov.

On Ukrainian oligarchs during war: some are helping the army to the maximum, some fled the country. Right now, there’s a lot of talk about a possible relocation of Russian oligarchs to Ukraine. This would hardly be a victory: these are people who helped Putin all their life, funded the Russian army. These scum killed 383 children [as of now, at least 383 children were killed by Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s Prosecutor General – ed].

Today, RNBO works, but as it’s dangerous for all members to gather together, we vote by writing. If it’s a meeting with Commander-in-Chief Zelenskyy, then I gather all 21 members over 1.5 hours. But you won’t hear about it.

Edited by: Alya Shandra
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