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The
war in Ukraine could last "years",
NATO
's secretary general warned
in an interview published on Sunday by the German newspaper
Bild
, urging Western countries to show support for
Kiev
while it lasts.
"We have to be prepared for this to last for years," said
Jens Stoltenberg
.
"We must not waver in our support for
Ukraine
, even if the costs are high, not only in terms of military support but also in rising energy and food prices."
On the battlefield, the
war in Ukraine
has its epicenter in the
Lugansk
region , in the east of the country and under constant bombardment from
Russia
.
The cities prepare street barricades and dig trenches for the imminent battle: "You have to prepare for the worst. This is a war, anything can happen," warns the regional governor.
update narration
7.38
Luhansk governor under constant fire 'prepares for the worst' in eastern Ukraine
The governor of
Lugansk
, a region in eastern
Ukraine
constantly bombed by
Russia
,
Serguiï Gaïdaï
opens the pockets of his bulletproof vest, full of ammunition and first aid material.
"You have to prepare for the worst," he says.
Appointed by President
Volodimir Zelensky
, the 46-year-old leads the
Lugansk
region , which is home to the city of
Severodonetsk
, where Russian and Ukrainian forces clash in the streets, and
Lyssychansk
, where artillery fire is almost permanent. .
"The situation is difficult, in the city (of Lyssytchansk) and throughout the region," he warns in an interview with AFP, because the Russians "bomb our positions 24 hours a day."
In
Lysytchansk
, there are signs of preparations for street clashes: soldiers are digging holes and putting up barbed wire, and police are placing burning vehicles in the streets to slow down traffic.
"An expression says: you have to prepare for the worst and the best will come by itself", underlines Gaïdaï.
"Of course we have to prepare," adds the man who has repeatedly warned that the Russians would end up encircling Lyssytchansk, cutting off their main supply routes.
"It's a war, anything can happen," he says.
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7.30
NATO warns: war in Ukraine could last "years"
The
war in Ukraine could last "years",
NATO
's secretary-general warned
in an interview published on Sunday by the German newspaper
Bild
, urging Western countries to show support for
Kiev
while it lasts.
"We have to be prepared for this to last for years," says
Jens Stoltenberg
.
"We must not waver in our support for
Ukraine
, even if the costs are high, not only in terms of military support but also in rising energy and food prices."
These costs are nothing compared to those paid daily by Ukrainians on the front line, ponders the head of the alliance, adding that if Russian President
Vladimir Putin
achieved his goals in
Ukraine
, as when he annexed
Crimea
in 2014, "we would have to pay an even higher price."
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