Russia is trying to freeze Ukraine with missiles, drones and heavy artillery fire. With targeted attacks on critical infrastructure, Russian President Vladimir Putin (70) wants to shroud and freeze the Ukrainian population.
Mykhailo Podolyak (50), top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (44), also hires his compatriots in an exclusive interview in view of difficult months. “We are facing the harshest winter in history,” says Podolyak. “The Ukrainian government will do whatever it takes to ensure Ukraine’s survival, and to do so as efficiently as possible. There is still no trend of the government asking Ukrainians to go abroad.”
intimidation of Russia
Between 30 and 40 percent of energy infrastructure is currently damaged or destroyed. The repair work would run around the clock. “In the meantime, we are looking for ways to import electricity from partner countries. We try to transfer electricity from one region to another,” says Podolyak. And he reveals: part of the people should also move. “Local authorities are asking people to move to villages where it is easier to burn firewood.”
By shelling energy infrastructure, Russia hopes to intimidate the Ukrainian population and create hostile conditions. “They want to try to drive a few million Ukrainians to Europe and cause chaos. That’s why the Russians are attacking our energy infrastructure,” said the presidential adviser.
However, a pause in the fighting between Ukraine and Russia is not an option. “We have no interest in prolonging this war. Instead, we want to liberate as many areas as possible as quickly as possible.” The extra mobilization makes progress more difficult. “Russia’s additional troops will cause difficulties for our artillery. But we will make progress », he is convinced.
“Relationship doesn’t suffer”
The rocket crash over Poland will not change that. President Zelensky still maintains that Russian missiles hit Poland. NATO is angry. Advisor Podolyak now says: “It could be Russian or Ukrainian missiles. We need to investigate the incident closely.”
The liberation of the city of Kherson was an important success in the course of the war. “But at the moment there is no electricity, no water and no heating in the whole city,” said the presidential adviser. “There are large areas of mines, we even found mines in the sewers. In that sense, Kherson is truly a city of death. We are working to restore electricity and try to locate Russian army personnel.”
Podolyak is confident: “I don’t think the relationship between Ukraine and NATO suffers. We all know who is responsible for the war. So there is no room for misunderstanding.”