German Defense Minister: Military operations on Russian territory 'completely normal'

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has supported the idea of "limited encroachments" onto Russian territory, such as blocking supply routes, Zeit Online reported on April 21.

Given the circumstances of the war it is "completely normal for (Ukraine) to move into enemy territory, for example, to block supply routes," Pistorius said, as quoted by Zeit.

The only conditions for such attacks would be that no cities, civilians, or civilian areas were targeted.

Pistorius also said that there must be certain limitations on weapons supplied to Ukraine, such as cluster munitions or phosphorus incendiary weapons, given that they are banned by international law.

A survey published by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology in late February showed that 90% of Ukrainians believed it was necessary to launch strikes on Russian territory.

Thirty-eight percent of those surveyed believed that it was necessary to target military infrastructure, while 39% believed that targeting both military sites and energy infrastructure was necessary.

Thirteen percent of those surveyed called for indiscriminate strikes on Russian territory, as Russia does on Ukraine. Seven percent of those surveyed were against launching retaliatory strikes against Russia, fearing escalation.

The survey noted that the biggest support for launching strikes on Russian territory came from the east of Ukraine, which has suffered the brunt of Russian attacks since the start of the full-scale invasion.

Ukraine war latest: Stoltenberg declares ‘Ukraine’s rightful place’ in NATO, Zelensky demands to know timeframe and ‘concrete steps’

Key developments on April 20: * Stoltenberg meets Zelensky in Kyiv, says ‘Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO’ * Zelensky demands to know timeframe, ‘concrete steps’ needed for NATO membership * Southern military command: Russia received new batch of Iranian Shahed drones * Air Force: Ukraine e…

Kyiv IndependentAsami Terajima