Putin aims to split Ukraine into two or three parts - NSDC secretary

Russian President Vladimir Putin's goal is to split Ukraine into several parts.

Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Oleksiy Danilov, expressed the opinion in an interview with Current Time, Ukrinform reports.

"After Putin seized Crimea, he needs to fixate this situation. In order to fixate this situation, he wants our country to cease to exist within its modern borders. This is his No.1 task, through internal destabilization, to ensure that the country disintegrates into two or three parts. This is what Putin wants," said Danilov.

According to the NSDC secretary, should Putin fail to achieve this through meddling, "then, as an option, weapons can be used, but we’re prepared for that."

The secretary of the National Security and Defense Council noted that the Army accounts for 261,000 active servicemen, while the total number of citizens operating in the security and defense sector nears a million. In addition, there is a civil society sector, which is millions of Ukrainians, that will also defend the country.

"Do we need help now? Yes, we do. And we are turning to our partners for this help. Are we getting this help? Yes, we’re getting it. Is it sufficient? We would like it to be much larger. But if should there be no such help, we will have enough understanding of how to repel the aggressor," Danilov emphasized.

He noted that Ukraine periodically receives assistance from the United States and other governments, but in case of escalation, Kyiv will need much more, so all partners have promised that they will deliver immediately.

"We would like this assistance to be provided as early as today. But there is a situation: 'Let's not provoke Putin.' But he doesn’t even need to be provoked. He can make up anything, himself," Danilov said.

According to Danilov, the internal situation in Russia is extremely complicated, and to retain control, the authorities need an ‘external foe.’ In the Soviet Union, it was the United States, the so-called ‘West,’ which was constantly used to intimidate people. After 1991, first, it was Transnistria ... then Georgia in 2008, now it's us. "Our country has never attacked Russia. It’s the Russians who are constantly at war, because if they are not, the very existence of the Russian Federation may become very, very difficult," he said.

Danilov stressed that the current situation is a result of the Muslim world putting pressure on Russia. "Various processes may be taking place there. I’m more than sure that we will soon see a free Ichkeria (Chechnya - ed.)," said the NSDC secretary.

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