Ukraine's military intelligence officers began preparing to repel the russian invasion in 2021.

Shaman, an officer of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, said this in an exclusive interview with RBC-Ukraine.

"We began active preparations for the invasion in the fall of 2021 - we trained the first people, groups that were to work in the territory that could potentially be seized, guerrilla movements," Shaman said.

He recalled hearing the first explosions in Kyiv at about 5:00 a.m. on February 24, 2022, and receiving an assignment from the Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov.

"The office door opened, and we all fell silent; General Budanov looked around the reception room, saw me, and almost literally said, 'Go to the Gostomel airport'. That's basically all that was imprinted in my memory at the time and in the memories of the guys in the reception room. There was, perhaps, a two-second pause to realize what was happening, and then the flywheel of war started to turn on," Shaman described.

He expressed his opinion on the current situation in the russian-Ukrainian war.

"If none of the parties at this stage changes anything on the battlefield and does not come up with a solution, what is happening is doomed to a protracted period. A protracted period is unfavorable primarily for the russian economy because it is all subject to sanctions and is collapsing. They are rebuilding on a military footing, but historically, russia has disintegrated after protracted wars precisely because of economic factors," the intelligence officer said.

He believes that in its current form, the aggressor state will never give up its imperial ambitions and will be a threat to Ukraine and the world.

"Anyone who thinks it will stop and we can sit it out is wrong.[...] As an imperial project, russia is doomed to be a "cosplay" of Mordor in the real world - to constantly burn, smoke, stink, be a smoldering volcano and a factor of constant tension and conflict for the whole world. There was, perhaps, a two-second pause to realize what was happening, and then the flywheel of war started to turn on," Shaman described.

He also spoke about the combat path of the Shamanabat soldiers and the recruitment process for the DIU special forces. Recruits are trained for 4-6 months.

"Only after a person is ready can we give them the right to participate in operations, but not in key roles. Commanders take a long time to look at a serviceman and "polish" him," said Shaman.

Read Shaman's full interview here: https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/interview/shaman-ukrainian-intel-s-officer-on-russia-1740404130.html

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