According to Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova, the whole of Ukraine is being hurt since the Russian invasion last year.
Speaking to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour from Kyiv, Dzhaparova said she thinks “a long process of recovery will take place after the settlement of the war,” but added that “at this stage of the war, it’s still a matter of survival so we need to survive physically and then we can talk about mental recovery.”
“You never know how it can be activated,” Dzhaparova said of the moral loss of the war. “I can say on my own behalf that, for example, I allowed myself to cry for the first time since the beginning of the whole -the official invasion came two weeks after my suitcase packed my belongings from Kyiv to the west of my country and I just – you know – it happened in a moment where I was touching my skirt and pants because I couldn’t buy anything because of the curfew and martial law. All stores are closed.”
The deputy minister told CNN she has only met her two daughters who are abroad three times since the invasion.
The four main battlefields, according to Dzhaparova, were Lyman, Mariinka, Avdiivka and Bakhmut.
“The situation in Bakhmut “remains terrible,” she said.
“It remains a question of what the outcome will be, but I can tell you with certainty that the Ukrainian armed forces have demonstrated their capabilities. Although we can hear some questions and voices that the Russians can achieve their goal in Bakhmut, I think that in order not to allow this to happen, we have to follow a few factors. Essentially, it’s transporting the necessary weapons, not only ammunition but also artillery systems and shells that we really need.”
About 17% of Ukraine’s land is “still occupied”, down from what she said was 20% at the start of the invasion.
