Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov took part in a meeting of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities chaired by the president of Ukraine, the press service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reports on Telegram.

During the meeting, Umerov outlined the key areas of work with local authorities. In particular, the focus is on the construction of fortifications.

“This is about protecting our country. We must change approaches to preparing those liable for military service and the population for national resistance. All our people must be trained and prepared,” the minister said.

In addition, according to Umerov, local authorities can significantly increase the attraction of specialists to the Defense Forces through a recruiting project. He emphasized that he expects even greater assistance from local authorities in mobilization work.

“I would like to add about the threat in the information space. The enemy is actively working to discredit Ukraine - outside and inside. The enemy is trying to create an artificial conflict within the leadership and create the illusion that Ukraine is not supported by its partners. I ask you to be careful about information hygiene,” Umerov urged.