Oleksandr Lytvynenko (Photo: SERGEY DOLZHENKO / EPA)

In a worst-case scenario, Russia could apply the same strategy to Kharkiv that it used to destroy the Syrian city of Aleppo, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksandr Lytvynenko said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

According to him, in the worst-case scenario, the Kremlin could repeat the strategy it used against Aleppo in Syria in 2016: Russian air forces destroyed power and water supplies, bombed hospitals and schools.

Russia took part in the war and continues to support the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.

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As a result of this approach, the population of Aleppo at the time of Assad's capture had fallen to one-third of its pre-war level.

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"They simply forced the people out. This is what they want to practice around Kharkiv," Lytvynenko noted.

REFERENCE
Aleppo is a city in northwestern Syria. In 2016, Russia, which supports the government of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, began an intensive bombing campaign in eastern Aleppo, where opposition forces and civilians were hiding. These attacks resulted in the deaths of thousands of people and the destruction of a significant portion of the city.

Read also: Ukraine may hit Russia with all 24 Dutch F-16s, Defense Minister Ollongren says

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warKharkivOleksandr LytvynenkoBashar al-AssadAleppo