Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that the Russian invasion of his country was just the beginning and that Moscow had plans to invade other countries, Reuters reported.

"All countries, like us, believe in the victory of life over death, they must fight together with us. They must help us because we are first in line. And who will be next?" Zelensky said in a video message later in Friday.

His words were in relation to the words of a senior Russian military official quoted by Russian news agencies yesterday as saying that Moscow wants full control of southern Ukraine and access to Transnistria, a breakaway Moldovan region with Russian troops.

This would cut off the entire Ukrainian coast and the entry of Russian forces hundreds of kilometers to the west, beyond the cities of Mykolaiv and Odessa.

The opinion of Gen. Rustam Minekayev was one of the most detailed about Moscow's ambitions in Ukraine and suggested that Russia does not intend to end its offensive soon.

Ukraine's Defense Ministry says Minekayev's comments show that Russia is no longer hiding its intentions.

Moscow, according to a statement on Twitter, "has already acknowledged that the goal of the 'second phase' of the war is not to defeat the mythical Nazis, but simply to occupy eastern and southern Ukraine. Pure imperialism."

But despite Russia's ambitious goals and allegations of capturing Mariupol, Moscow's forces have not made significant progress in the past 24 hours, British military intelligence said today.

Ukraine's counterattacks continue to hamper Russia's efforts to capture the key port city, according to a regular bulletin from Britain's Defense Ministry.

Ukraine's budget deficit is already between $4 billion and $5 billion, and Kyiv is seeking support from all partners in the coming months, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said in Washington.

Schmigal discussed with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken additional ways to help Kyiv.

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, meanwhile, wrote on his Telegram channel late Friday that Chechnya is sending hundreds of additional volunteers to Ukraine.

At the same time, Zelensky confirmed that the allies were finally delivering weapons requested by Kyiv after France and Spain announced they had sent military equipment.

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