Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov has expressed confidence that the southern region of Kherson will be liberated from Russia.

Reznikov gave an exclusive interview with NHK on Tuesday in Kyiv. It was his first solo interview with Japanese media since Russia's invasion began.

As for the situation on the ground, he said the first stage was to deter Russians and the second stage was to stabilize the frontlines.

He said they are now in the third stage -- a counteroffensive campaign -- and Ukrainian forces are retaking territories.

He said the campaign has slowed in the south because Russian troops are using irrigation canals as trenches.

But Reznikov said Ukrainian forces will move forward by winter, when Russian troops' mobility will decline.

The Ukrainian military has stepped up their counteroffensives since September and retaken almost the entire Kharkiv region in the east.

The minister said Ukraine has "a real plan to liberate all temporarily occupied territories."

As for a series of missile and bomb-carrying drone attacks since October 10, Reznikov accused Russia of targeting civilian facilities and infrastructure, not military targets.

He said the top priority is air defense systems to protect civilians, and urged the West to provide assistance to enable Ukraine to shoot down the so-called suicide drones Iran is said to be supplying to Russia.

The minister argued that Moscow knows that using a nuclear weapon in the battlefield will be risky for its troops.

He also said Russia is aware of the possible consequences of using one in the Black Sea, which borders a trio of NATO members -- Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria.