Ukraine Defence Min calls on global powers to declare A2/AD zone amid Russian aggression

As the Russian military action in Ukraine entered the 10th day, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov addressed the international community and said that a full-scale war could have been avoided if the sanctions placed on Moscow currently were made earlier. Addressing the international community in a video released on Facebook, Reznikov stressed that the only way for the world to survive is the area denial weapon or anti-access/area denial (A2/AD zone). Expressing concern over Russia's actions at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), Reznikov stated that if the ZNPP explosion transpires, the consequences will be devastating for Ukraine as well as the whole world. 

"If Eisenhower had supported Europe before the World War II, the United States would have never had Pearl Harbor. If the countries of the world imposed the same sanctions against Russia as today, a full-scale war would not have begun. Say the least of it, the only way for all of us to survive, and I mean the whole world, is the A2/AD zone," Ukraine Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said. 

In his video address, the Ukrainian Defence Minister thanked partners of Ukraine for their support. He informed that Europe is sending aid to Ukraine as thousands of Ukrainians, without fearing for their life, continue to resist Russia from invading their motherland. Reznikov said that NATO refused to close the sky over Ukraine and recalled the incident of April 1986. Oleksii Reznikov further added that authorities not announcing no-fly zone over Ukraine need to keep in mind the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, which is considered to be the "most massive in the history of nuclear energy" both in terms of the number of people who died due to the incident and the economic damage. 

In his address, Reznikov underscored that Russian troops have captured the Zaporizhzhya NPP and Chernobyl NPP.  Reznikov further added that the Chernobyl accident, with just one power unit, was "catastrophic" for the entire world. He also emphasized that Zaporizhzhya NPP has six power units and voiced concern that if a Russian missile hits the Zaporizhzhya NPP, it will cause more devastation. Reznikov called the Russian moves "purposeful actions" and added that Moscow has committed an act of nuclear terrorism and called Ukrainians "miraculously lucky" as the fire was liquidated and noted that they might not be lucky again. He emphasised that nuclear disasters of this scale will surpass all previous accidents at nuclear power plants, including Chernobyl. 

"You cannot observe a nuclear catastrophe from afar – it is not going to work out that way. Your arguments that the current refusal to implement A2/AD is related to the fact that NATO is trying to avoid the nuclear war is not convincing, since Russia has already started it," Oleksii Reznikov said. 

(Image: AP/@Reznikovoleksii/Facebook)