As the Ukrainian military's reversal offensive continued, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu claimed that the Ukrainian military was planning to attack Crimea and other countries in southern Ukraine that it had unilaterally annexed, with missiles provided by the West, suggesting a retaliatory strike.
The Ukrainian army is continuing a counter-offensive in the east and south to retake territory.
Under these circumstances, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu stated at a meeting of the Ministry of Defense on the 20th that "Ukraine is deploying many Western weapons and elite units trained from NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organization" and reasserted that it is repelling any counterattack.
He also claimed that the Ukrainian military command was planning to attack the southern Crimea and Russian territories that Russia unilaterally annexed nine years ago with the high-mobility rocket artillery system = Hymars provided by the United States and the cruise missile "Storm Shadow" provided by the United Kingdom.
"It means that the United States and the United Kingdom will become fully involved in the conflict, which will lead to an immediate attack on the decision-making center in Ukraine," he said, suggesting retaliatory strikes against Ukraine and the West.
President Zelensky of Ukraine has indicated his intention to retake all territories, including Crimea.
While some believe that there has been some advance in Ukrainian troops in operations in the south, which are also aimed at cutting off supply routes to Crimea, General Zalzhny of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is increasingly wary that Russian troops are building defensive lines and strengthening their defenses, including by condensing minefields.