Ex-Defense Minister of Separatists: I doubt we will defeat Ukraine in Donetsk

"Our fake marshal (meaning Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu) talks about the successful first phase of a special operation. Of course, he will not say the opposite. He never says," Former Defense Minister of the 'Donetsk People's Republic' Igor Girkin said in an interview with Radar, Report informs.

"Therefore, it seems that our people will have to withdraw from there (in the direction of Kyiv) and send troops to a place where it is possible to do something. To be honest, I doubt that our troops will be able to besiege and destroy the Donetsk group of Ukraine, leaving behind the "golden month". Unfortunately, the Ukrainian command is acting more adequately than Russia from a military point of view. You can call me a traitor and so on. In any case, I am a commando with significant combat experience."

Before becoming the separatists' "defense minister," Girkin served as deputy head of a department at the Russian Federal Security Service for a long time. He is currently the leader of the Novorossiya public movement, which supports separatists and so-called organizations in the Donbas.