Reznikov: Probability of Russian invasion of Ukraine estimated as low

"I emphasize once again: different data and different dates of some events and different scenarios may be announced now. The Ukrainian army has scrutinized all these scenarios and is ready for them. We do not downplay the threat in any way. But we still estimate the probability of large-scale escalation regarding the invasion of Ukraine as low," Defense Minister of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov said during an hour of questions to the Government in the Verkhovna Rada, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The minister stressed that now efforts were focused on maximizing Ukraine's readiness.

As noted, Blizzard 2022 military exercises are underway in different regions, a number of exercises have already been conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Security Service of Ukraine holds training, the territorial defense forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are being deployed.

As reported, over the past day, February 17, the armed formations of the Russian Federation violated the ceasefire in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area in eastern Ukraine 60 times, including 43 attacks with the use of weapons banned under the Minsk agreements. Thirty-one populated localities came under Russian occupiers’ fire.

One Ukrainian soldier was wounded, and another was injured in action.

Two civilians were wounded in the shelling by Russian-occupation forces.

Moreover, the enemy shells damaged the building of a kindergarten, power lines, gas pipeline and destroyed two private houses in Stanytsia Luhanska (16km north-east of Luhansk). Three employees of the kindergarten were contused. In addition, Russian armed forces fired artillery at the village of Vrubivka (72km west of Luhansk), damaging the building of a local secondary school, a gas pipeline, and a private house.

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