The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine replied to this announcement by describing Russia's intentions as imperialism, by saying that it contradicted previous Russian claims that assured that Russia did not have territorial ambitions over Ukraine and that Russia had admitted that "the goal of the 'second phase' of the war is not victory over the mythical Nazis, but simply the occupation of eastern and southern Ukraine".[1] The Institute for the Study of War asserted that military operations consisted of small skirmish operations intended to test Ukrainian defenses, while bombardment campaigns continued to chisel away at Ukrainian defenses along the line of contact.[53]