Ukraine could seize Crimea next month – deputy defense minister – RT Russia and the former Soviet Union
The Russian peninsula was controlled by kyiv from 1991 to 2014, due to a controversial Soviet-era reassignment
Ukraine could seize Russia’s Crimea region by the end of this year, Kyiv Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir Gavrilov has said. In an interview with Sky News on Saturday, Gavrilov said what is known as a “black swan” – or a sudden and unexpected event – could lead to victory.
“I think Russia can face a black swan in their country, inside Russia, and that can contribute to [our] success with Crimea”, he said, adding that there was “also a military option with some sort of combination of forces, resources and something else.”
“We can enter Crimea, for example, by the end of December. Possible? Possible. Not excluding that it could be so, Gavrilov added.
When asked what type of black swan event could happen in the coming months, Gavrilov suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin could “disappear, for example, for any reason, physical and political”, or that the Russian public could become “disillusioned” with the situation on the battlefield.
Echoing an earlier statement by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, Gavrilov said Kyiv would resume negotiations with Russia “only when they are ready to leave our territories.”
Expressing his optimism about Ukraine’s chances, Gavrilov said: “My feeling is that by the end of spring, this war will be over.”
Crimea broke away from Ukraine and voted to join Russia shortly after the 2014 coup in Kyiv. In July, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that the refusal “by Ukraine or any NATO country” considering Crimea as part of Russia would be seen as a threat.
In early October, the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, as well as the former Ukrainian regions of Zaporozhye and Kherson, officially became part of Russia following referendums that saw the majority of local residents vote in favor of the Russian Federation. membership.
Last week, Russian troops withdrew from Kherson, fearing that Ukrainian forces could destroy a nearby hydroelectric dam, causing flooding that could kill soldiers and civilians.
Putin said in late September that Moscow would defend the new territories “with all our strength and with all the means at our disposal.”
You can share this story on social media:
RT
