"Ukraine will be the strongest state in the world," RIA Novosti quoted him as saying when asked about the future of Ukraine five years after the end of the conflict.
Melnik cited the example of Germany, which, after the defeat in World War II, became "practically the most advanced country in the world."
"We will bypass Germany," the commander said.
Earlier, the assistant to the head of Chechnya, the commander of the Akhmat special forces, Apti Alaudinov, expressed confidence that the counteroffensive would end in defeat for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Former British diplomat and professor of war studies Tim Willasy-Wilsey, in an article in The Scotsman newspaper, said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has six months left to succeed in the conflict.
In the absence of achievements, Western countries will put pressure on the Ukrainian leader to start negotiations with Russia.