Oleksandr Turchynov: In conditions of Russian aggression, the highest national priority is the further strengthening of the security and defense sector

In conditions of Russian aggression, the highest national priority is the further strengthening of the security and defense sector.

This was stated by Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov in the article "National Security of Ukraine: Challenges and Priorities" published in the "Voice of Ukraine" newspaper on Wednesday.

According to the NSDC Secretary of Ukraine, taking into account the Kremlin's strategic intention to subject our state to its rule, the situation can develop according to the two main scenarios:

The first scenario, Mr. Turchynov noticed, is the war one: "a full-scale military aggression, which currently is the most problematic and dangerous for the Kremlin itself, but the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are preparing hard for it".

The second - hybrid - scenario, according to the NDSC Secretary, today remains the most likely one.

"This scenario involves the continuation of low-intensity hostilities in Donbas, which does not exclude the possibility of local offensives of the Russian regular and irregular units as well as and subversive activities in the rest of the territory of Ukraine. Moreover, the Russians are deliberately and systematically violating the Minsk agreements, constantly firing the positions of our troops, particularly, with heavy weapons prohibited by these agreements", - Oleksandr Turchynov said.

He emphasized that against the background of consistent upward trends of instability in Europe and the world, the long-term nature of the Russian threat forms the external security environment around Ukraine and determines the highest priority of our national security policy.

"Only successful and consistent policy guided by the most efficient use of our own limited human, financial, logistical and information resources, unswerving progress towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration, and comprehensive development of cooperation with strategic allies, including in establishing military-technical cooperation, will allow to protect the Ukraine's interests and create a synergy effect of national unity and international cooperation", - Mr. Turchynov stated.

"Under such conditions, the highest national priority is the further strengthening of the security and defense sector. In times of external aggression, the development of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the Security Service of Ukraine, the law enforcement and intelligence agencies is, say the least of it, a condition for the survival of independent Ukraine and its progress. This is not to save the money. Finances will be unnecessary if we cannot protect the state", - he said.

To the NSDC Secretary's belief, military reform "should guarantee a complete rejection of the Russian-Soviet attitude towards soldiers as to cannon fodder and the introduction of the key NATO principle of the absolute importance of preserving the lives of soldiers during combat missions". "Military service should open the social ladder, become an indispensable prerequisite for a political or public career, be socially prestigious and financially attractive", - he noticed.

Alongside this, Mr. Turchynov presumes, it is important to strengthen democratic civilian control over the security sector of Ukraine: politicians must not only control the military but also bear their share of responsibility for the decisions taken by them and the consequences of such decisions.

Oleksandr Turchynov said that in conditions of confrontation with Russia, Ukraine cannot renounce military induction: "The need for trained reserves is too great and critical to the survival of the state".