The issue of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine made many elements in
Ukraine prepare for an attack.
Head of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valery Zaluzhny and Defense Minister
Oleksii Reznikov said the attackers would not take Kiev, Odessa, Kharkov or
any other Ukrainian city. "We have strengthened the defense of Kiev.
We have gone through the war and have been well prepared. Therefore, we are
ready to meet the enemy and not with flowers, but with Stinger, Javelin and
NLAW. Welcome to hell!", said Zaluzhny, referring to the various anti-rocket
and anti-aircraft weapons received from the West.
The military says Ukrainian intelligence and the army have control over the
situation on the border and that Kiev is coordinating its actions with
allies.
"Such a prominent democratic union has not existed for decades," said
Zaluzhny and Reznikov.
Zelenskiy voiced his frustration last month with his dire assessment of the
war.
Such warnings have had an impact on the economy, piling pressure on the
national currency, and potentially triggering a recession.
Ukraine also sees no point in closing its airspace amid an escalation with
Russia.
Dutch airline KLM said on Saturday it would soon stop flying to Ukraine,
while Ukrainian airline SkyUp said on Sunday it had to divert one of its
planes after charter owners banned flights from entering Ukrainian airspace.
"The most important point is that Ukraine itself sees no point in closing
the skies. This is nonsense. And, in my opinion, it is a bit like a partial
blockade," said Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukraine's presidential
chief of staff.
"If a particular airline decides to reconfigure flight schedules, it
certainly has nothing to do with our country's decisions or policies," he
told Reuters.
SkyUp Ukraine said in a statement that one of its planes, carrying 175
passengers from Portugal, should land in Moldova on Saturday instead of
continuing to fly to Ukraine after the owner of a charter plane based in
Ireland prevented the plane from entering Ukrainian airspace. It did not
provide further details.