Zaluzhnyi says he will not ask permission to strike Russia and return Crimea

Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said that he would not ask permission from Western partners to launch strikes against Russia and return Crimea. According to him, Ukraine will use weapons of its own production.

Zaluzhny said this in an interview with the Washington Post. He stressed that he is now asking himself how he can reduce losses.

It is noted that the commander-in-chief starts the morning with information about losses among soldiers. Zaluzhnyi says he is postponing his grief until later so that mourning does not distract him from his important work.

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He added that due to a lack of weapons, the absence of new Western aircraft and allied conditions for longer-range missiles, the Ukrainian Armed Forces use Ukrainian-made weapons for frequent strikes across the border, which Kyiv never officially recognises.

"In order to save my people, why should I ask anyone for permission to do anything in enemy territory? For some reason, I have to think that I am not allowed to do anything there. Why? Because Putin... will use nuclear weapons? The children who are dying don't care," the Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief stressed.

Zaluzhnyi added that this is "our problem" and it is up to us to solve it.

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"In a war, you can and should kill on the enemy's territory. If our partners are afraid to use their weapons, we will kill with ours. But only as much as necessary," he explained.

Zaluzhnyi also added that he plans to return Crimea despite the fact that some Western officials are privately worried about Putin's reaction.

"As soon as I have the funds, I will do something. I don't care - no one will stop me," he said.

Earlier, Zaluzhnyi spoke about a case when he had to tell the mother of a deceased pilot that her son had been killed while performing a military mission. The Commander-in-Chief said that in such cases it was difficult for him to hold back tears.

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