The border region of Rivne focused on defense against the onset of a full-scale invasion. Today, 229 km of the Belarus border has been transformed into a solid fortress. In an exclusive interview with online.ua journalist Viktoria Bielik head of the Rivne Regional Military Administration (RMA) talked about the fortifications on the border, the situation at the Rivne NPP and how the region prepared for the new heating season.
Source: online.ua
In the Rivne region, there are 229 km of the border with Belarus, of which 90 km are impassable swamps. What was the situation at the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia?
Vitaly Koval: Yes, of course, when the full-scale invasion began, the change of paradigm that you had a neighbour and became a potential enemy was very difficult to accept for society, especially in the border communities that were historically connected to Belarus.
Therefore, it was the first stressful situation, when we realized that we no longer had a neighbour, but rockets were flying from the territory of the Republic of Belarus.
All 229 km of the border have been transformed into a solid fortress for today. Engineering structures, fortifications, ditches, minefields, barriers — all it is for defense.
Several lines of echelon defense have been built, but we do not stop; we continue to build up this defense. Today, I can say with confidence that life on the border has not stopped: businesses are working, people are living, and the mass exodus, as we were prophesied, has not happened.
Photo — online.ua
Did SRG’s [sabotage and reconnaissance group — Ed.] activities take place at the beginning of a full-scale invasion from the territory of Belarus?
Vitaly Koval: We did not have organized subversive groups enter the territory of the region. There were only isolated cases of crossing the border; when citizens of Belarus entered, citizens of other countries — they have already been processed.
An attempt to cross the border was detected, and in fact, these people could not break the law. There was no penetration of sabotage and reconnaissance groups from the Belarus territory.
Photo — online.ua
As of today, are there any risks of such groups entering the territory of Ukraine?
Vitaly Koval: The risk cannot be levelled. It is better to be prepared and take care of this issue than to simply repeat that everything is fine. There are risks, especially considering that our number one object of interest (for enemies — ed.) is the Rivne nuclear power plant. It is 60 kilometers from the border with Belarus on a direct line.
We understand that there is a risk of any attempts to seize the nuclear power plant. Therefore, there is increased vigilance and attention.
And what is the current situation at the NPP? After all, the Rivne NPP remains a nuclear target for the Russians.
Vitaly Koval: The situation at the NPP is stable. We are working normally. From time to time, the units go on a scheduled warning of operation, but stable generation occurs. In terms of defense, defense lines have been built. The city of Varash is a satellite city of the Rivne NPP, divided into sectors. It has already been determined who is responsible for the defense of the city.
Defensive lines from the nuclear power plant to the border are also defined. There is reinforcement: the National Guard, the Armed Forces, and the permanent components of the Defense Forces are the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Security Service of Ukraine. They conduct training there.
Photo — online.ua
I would like to remind you that the territory of the Rivne Region consists of continuous swamps and forests that are impassable in the north. There are actually several avenues of potential threat. They are under the special control of the Armed Forces and are prepared to meet the enemy, so it is definitely a one-way street.
Whoever dares to go from the side of Belarus to the territory of Ukraine through the Rivne region will regret it.
If the enemy continues massive shelling of critical infrastructure, as it was last year, how prepared is the region for this?
Vitaly Koval: This year, we are absolutely more prepared for the autumn-winter period than last year, from the point of view of protecting critical infrastructure facilities. Conclusions have been drawn, the outline of the enemy's actions is clear, and the main threats are known.
Our task is to protect the energy infrastructure. Because this is a very important issue — the failure of transmission capacities. We have generation, which the nuclear power plant generates, but transmission, specifically 330 kilovolts substations that transmit in another region, is our number one task. The enemy aimed at them, and we understand how he works.
Photo — online.ua
Today, the readiness level is estimated at 76%, including social infrastructure facilities. We do not see threats that could lead to disruption of the heating season from the point of view of readiness, repair work, or fuel stock. That's okay. The Cabinet of Ministers and the Office of the President take care of the issue. Therefore, we will definitely go quietly, and we are ready.
The number one threat is the unpredictability and consequences of missile strikes that may occur.
What is the number one area issue or most critical issue that you and your team are working on right now?
Vitaly Koval: The number one issue is defense, readiness to retaliate at any time and against any enemy. Therefore, we pay attention to the formation of such capacity.
This is the defense budget, which, let me remind you, was adopted in our region. 52 communities allocated funds to the regional budget specifically for defense.
Photo — online.ua
And with these defense funds, there is an opportunity to form a line of defense in the north of the region. The northern communities — we have six border communities — are less able to financially support the huge scale of work on the construction of fortifications. Work continues here.
Priority #1 is defense; priority #2 is to maintain the pace and development of the economy. We understand that the economic front is on our shoulders. Today, we are working for the Rivne region and for other regions, which are much more difficult, especially those near the front.
This is the first part of a long interview with the head of Rivne RMA Vitaly Koval. The second part will soon be available on online.ua.
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