Ukraine calls on Russia troops to lay down arms

Published October 7, 2022
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov holds a news conference in Copenhagen, Denmark on August 10, 2022. — Reuters/File
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov holds a news conference in Copenhagen, Denmark on August 10, 2022. — Reuters/File

Ukraine’s Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov on Friday called on Russian troops to lay down their arms, promising them “life and safety.”

“You can still save Russia from tragedy and the Russian army from humiliation,” Reznikov said in Russian in a video addressed to Russian troops.

“We guarantee life, safety and justice for all who refuse to fight immediately. And we will ensure a tribunal for those who gave criminal orders,” he promised.

“You have been deceived and betrayed” by the Kremlin, Reznikov said.

“It’s easier for them to tell you that you died heroically in battle against imaginary Nato (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) hordes. It is true that Nato countries are supplying us with weapons. But it is Ukrainian soldiers who are beating you with these weapons,” Reznikov said.

Reznikov said that “Ukrainian soldiers do not need Russian lands, we have enough of our own. And we are taking them all back.”

Ukrainian troops have been leading counter-offensives in the south and the east of the country in the past few weeks, clawing back large swathes of territory.

Opinion

Editorial

At breaking point
Updated 20 Jan, 2025

At breaking point

The country’s jails serve as monuments to bureaucratic paralysis rather than justice.
Lower growth
20 Jan, 2025

Lower growth

THE IMF has slightly marked down its previous growth forecast for Pakistan’s economy from 3.2pc to 3pc for the...
Nutrition challenge
20 Jan, 2025

Nutrition challenge

WHEN a country’s children go hungry, its future withers. In Pakistan, where over 40pc of children under five are...
Kurram conundrum
Updated 19 Jan, 2025

Kurram conundrum

If terrorists and sectarian groups — regardless of their confessional affiliations — had been neutralised earlier, we would not be at this juncture today.
EV policy
19 Jan, 2025

EV policy

IT is pleasantly surprising that the authorities are moving with such purpose to potentially revolutionise...
Varsity woes
19 Jan, 2025

Varsity woes

GIVEN that most bureaucrats in our country are not really known for contributions to pedagogical excellence, it ...