Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Hrytsak notes that prior to the upcoming presidential elections in Ukraine, the Kremlin provokes tensions among the patriotically-minded part of Ukrainian politicians and will try to bring the pro-Russian political force to power, the website of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has reported.
“Russia is simultaneously trying to consolidate the pro-Russian electorate around a single candidate to bring the pro-Russian political force to power in Ukraine, change the state structure and stop international support for our country,” Hrytsak said, speaking at a security conference during the Ukrainian Week in London.
Among the tools of the Kremlin’s intelligence and subversive activities, the head of the SBU also highlighted information operations, direct influence actions, political assassinations, terrorist attacks, cyber-terrorism, and private military campaigns around the world.
“Ukraine is a testing area where the Russian Federation is testing tools and tactics of hybrid aggression, which they then use to destabilize the situation in the U.S. and the EU countries,” he said.
The head of the SBU stressed that the civilized world should create a united front to counter Russian hybrid aggression.
“We need legal mechanisms that would equally effectively block the spread of Russian lies in the UK, in Germany, and in Ukraine,” said Hrytsak.
Regular parliamentary and presidential elections are scheduled in Ukraine for 2019.
