Abolition Of The Ukrainian Nationalist Battalion Becomes Moscow's Priority, Kremlin: It Must Be Done And There Should Be No Doubt!

JAKARTA - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow views the elimination of the Ukrainian nationalist battalion as a priority task for its troops at this time.

"The main task is to liberate (Ukraine) from this nationalist battalion. Operations continue and the assigned tasks are well known," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS April 16.

"It must and will be resolved. There should be no doubt about it," the spokesman for the Russian president continued.

As Peskov points out, "peaceful life returns where the nationalist battalion does not take civilians hostage, this nationalist battalion does not fire on social facilities and homes."

"However, in places where nationalist battalions are involved in what I am talking about, there is a fierce struggle and everything must be eliminated there," Peskov said.

It is known that Russia was rearranging its forces to focus on attacking southern and eastern Ukraine, when the missile cruiser Moskva 121, the main ship of their Black Sea fleet, suffered an explosion, which Ukraine claimed was caused by a Neptune missile, later sank and prompted Moscow to step up attacks on Kyiv on Friday.

"The number and scale of missile strikes against targets in Kyiv will increase in response to any terrorist attacks or acts of sabotage on Russian territory carried out by the Kyiv nationalist regime," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Russia launched what it called a "special military operation" on February 24. Ukraine has put up fierce resistance and the West has imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia.