OREANDA-NEWS. The source of the publication "Strana.ua" in the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine spoke about an allegedly possible scenario of a military confrontation between Moscow and Kiev in the event of the start of an operation by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to return territories not controlled by Kiev.

The source says that “if Russia decides to start a large-scale war with Ukraine, then it will not attack our fortified positions in Donbass, but will try to cut the country into two parts by counter-strikes from Crimea and Belgorod, and possibly Belarus."

Nevertheless, he admitted that an invasion from the Russian side looks unlikely, but considered it expedient to "prepare for all possible options."

The material also notes that the units of the Ukrainian security forces in the Donbass were brought to full combat readiness, and the interlocutor of the publication, in turn, noted that he allows Russia to intervene in the conflict.

The Russian side, for its part, has repeatedly stressed that it is not a party to the internal Ukrainian conflict. Moscow also expressed concern over Kiev's attempts to evade the implementation of the agreements reached during the negotiations.