Ukraine ready for any 'surprises' - president

Ukraine is ready for any development of events related to Russian aggression, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

He said this in the Kherson region, where the Ukrainian Interior Ministry is holding tactical and special exercises near the administrative border with the temporarily occupied Crimea, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"First of all, we all understand that 'surprises' may come at any time. We must rely on our own strength. We understand that such things can happen without warning, so the most important thing is to ensure that we could be ready for anything. That's what is being worked out. We are ready for any steps from any side, from any border. I think that our specialists and our teams, ministries, our military are at a very serious level. And this is the level they demonstrated today," Zelensky said.

He also commented on the high level of tactical and special exercises of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry. "We understand that any offensive, any occupation begins with destabilization within the state. This is the work of subversive groups. Here is exactly what was missing then [in 2014]," he said.

Zelensky noted that in the near future, Ukraine will continue similar exercises in the border regions. "Simultaneously, we will be holding military exercises," he added.

Zelensky recalled that the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council at a meeting in Kharkiv on February 11 considered the issue of ensuring national security from internal and external threats. "We are acting according to our plan. So we are not afraid of anyone, there's no need to panic, everything is under control," he said.

The Ukrainian Interior Ministry on Saturday started tactical and special exercises in the Kherson region, near the administrative border with the temporarily occupied Crimea, and Zelensky watched the demonstration of the units' actions on the ground.

op