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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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