MINSK. Aug 17 (Interfax) - Russia could "take Kiev" within a short period of time, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said.
However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not done so in order to avoid large numbers of casualties, he said.
"Putin told me: 'You know, it can be done [Kiev can be taken] immediately, instantly, but a huge number of people will die," Lukashenko said in an interview with Ukrainian journalist Diana Panchenko.
"If the Russians had taken Kiev, can you imagine what kind of war it would be? The war would be over already," Lukashenko said.
Ukrainian troops, unlike Russian forces, deployed not only tanks but also MLRS on the streets, and did not think about possible casualties, hiding in kindergartens, schools, hospitals, and other social infrastructure, he said.
"We [the Russian Armed Forces] are on the outskirts of Kiev, we can't hit indiscriminately, like they do. That is, he [Vladimir Putin] was concerned that the fighting could have left nothing where there was once a school," the president said.
"And I had a talk with Putin. He said: 'How can you strike them in Kiev if they are hidden in schools and kindergartens?' I am almost quoting the conversation. That is, there were concerns. A different person would have told him: "Look, there's a war on. If a war's started, fight.' And he was telling the truth when he said: 'We have not even started yet,'" Lukashenko said.
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