Missile tests to be conducted as scheduled despite Russia's threats, - Turchynov

Russia has moved to a new stage of provoking an escalation of military aggression against Ukraine.

National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov said after Russia declared its readiness to strike military facilities in the Ukrainian sovereign territory, Censor.NET reports referring to the NSDC press service.

"Threatening Ukraine with weapons is an attempt to move into the active phase of the hybrid war that Russia has been waging against our country during the last three years," he said, adding that these threats come along with the deployment of new divisions at the Ukrainian border.

Yesterday, Nov. 29, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu reported in Moscow that the composition of two mechanized infantry divisions, deployed in the Belgorod and Voronezh regions in the immediate vicinity of the Ukrainian border, was almost complete, Turchynov said, adding that these divisions are fully manned and equipped with modern weapons and hardware.

According to him, this comes along with open threats to use rocket weaponry against Ukraine if it continues its missile exercises and tests.

The NSDC secretary says that in defiance of these threats and attempts to aggravate the situation, "we will continue to strengthen the defense capacity of our state and conduct missile tests and exercises in accordance with approved plans and schedules within our sovereign territory and sovereign airspace."

"Ukraine sticks to all the international agreements and undertaken commitments. So we want our international partners to pay attention to deliberate provocations by the Russian Federation intended to foment military aggression in the region," Turchynov concluded.