Deputy Kostenko said that Russia will go to Mykolaiv and Odesa: «Definitely»

People's deputy of Ukraine Roman Kostenko, who participated in the defense of Mykolaiv, believes that the Russians have not abandoned their plans to seize Mykolaiv and Odesa regions. The enemy will definitely try to invade these territories.

He told about this in an interview with «Ukrainian Pravda».

In his opinion, Russia wants to preserve the land corridor, they want to preserve the Crimea, and Mykolayiv region and Odesa region may become the next target in the south.

«And my point of view is that the next story is the south of Ukraine. They will definitely try to capture the Mykolaiv and Odesa regions. For them, this is a strategic direction, because it is the Black Sea,» said Roman Kostenko.

He added that a strategic issue for the Russian Federation is access to Transnistria through Odesa and Mykolaiv.

«They understand that the viability of our country depends on who controls the south. And in general, they consider these lands to be historical, because this is their exit to Europe. There are many nuances that they want to hold on to. That is why they often mention Odesa and Mykolaiv in their propaganda videos,» he said.

According to the People's Deputy, attempts to seize the southern regions of Ukraine may begin in a year or in 10 years, it all depends on whether there will be peace negotiations and on what terms they will be held.

«We don't know how the war will end now. It will end after a certain period of time, when we will inflict losses on them, they will be very hurt, and they will say: «Let's put up with it, because we can no longer conduct hostilities, because we have been crushed by sanctions, many of us have died, we have lost all military potential. But if a third party comes and says: 'Let's reconcile you,' as a rule, such peace does not last long enough,» he believes.

Earlier it was reported that People's Deputy of Ukraine Roman Kostenko said that he «went on a business trip» unscheduled and is currently crossing the border with the Russian Federation.

As you know, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Roman Kostenko came to Mykolaiv in the first days of the war and, together with Major General Dmytro Marchenko, began building the city's defenses. He also took lessons in the liberation of Snow White.

He stated that the successful defense of Mykolaiv made it possible to protect not only Odesa, but also Moldova from the invasion of the invaders. According to him, it was one of the most strategic victories in the war.