“These restrictions need to be lifted, because it is legal and legitimate for Ukrainians to defend themselves even by attacking the territory of Russia, because they cannot box with one hand tied behind their backs,” Řehka said on Sunday in the Czech TV discussion program Otázky Václav Moravec .
Western countries – the USA, Britain, France and Germany – which could supply the Ukrainians with long-range missiles, cannot agree whether this would escalate the conflict and trigger a nuclear war between NATO and Russia.
Russia threatens to escalate the situation, but does not hesitate to use missiles against Ukrainian cities. According to Řehka, Russia is at a considerable advantage. “The planes are taking off from Russian airfields that are within range of existing weapons, but the Ukrainians cannot use them. And those planes then bomb civilian infrastructure, not just soldiers. So it would be perfectly fine for the Ukrainians to be able to attack the territory of Russia as well,” the general noted.
The Kursk operation diverted Russian forces only partially, Syrskyi said
The war in Ukraine
According to him, the Ukrainian operation in the Kursk region showed that the Russians often only threaten. “The situation in the Kursk region showed some Western leaders that they shouldn’t be afraid of escalation and red lines, because the Russians are still firing nuclear weapons, but when the Ukrainians invaded and took the whole district, nothing happened,” he added.
If the Ukrainian goal of attacking the Kursk region was to relieve the situation on the eastern front, where the Russians are still advancing, then according to Řehka, it did not succeed completely. But according to him, it fulfilled other goals. “There are other important aspects, such as a morale boost. The war is now in its third year and it’s been a long time, and every war is about will. And we know from our Ukrainian contacts that it was a significant morale boost,” said the general. He added that the surprise action also caught the attention of Western allies.
Babiš does politics, Řehka is preparing for war
Řehka has been talking for a long time about the need to prepare for a possible conflict with Russia, because it is the only way to deter the aggressor from a clash. He earned criticism from the opposition leader and head of ANO Andrej Babiš several times for this. Even in his presidential campaign, he warned against the fact that the soldiers want to drag the Czech Republic into war and that Řehka is needlessly scaring people with war. The general understands it as a political color.
“Mr. Babiš makes politics and I take it that way. There is nothing personal about it. He probably figured out in some numbers that he should do it this way,” said the general. He added that he is not afraid of war and that there is no place to be afraid, but that his job description is to prepare the army for a conflict with the enemy.
And NATO’s strategy, according to Řehka, is not an offensive war, but “deterrence and defense”. “We’re not doing this to win the war when it happens, but to prevent it from happening,” he said. Therefore, it is necessary to build a strong defense so that Russia does not dare to fight with NATO. “We all want peace, but you won’t achieve it by making concessions or by behavior that, as we can clearly see, does not work, but on the contrary encourages Russia to escalate,” added Řehka.
Babiš and his peace. He launched a campaign against the government and the army in full swing
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