Ukraine has outlined a plan for how it could seize back control of Crimea from Putin grip – including dismantling a key bridge that would make the despot particularly proud. Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of UkraineThe National Security and Defense Council published the plan ahead of Kyiv’s planned counteroffensive this spring.
Although Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014, most of the world refuses to recognize it as such Russian area.
Ownership of the peninsula will be a crucial feature of any peace negotiations that could end the ongoing war, with the Kremlin demanding Ukraine recognize his authority over Crimea as part of his terms of peace.
Moscow makes the same demands for other land gains made by Moscow, which, while much less than what Putin intended, still make up a significant portion of the country. Ukraine has refused to participate in peace talks until Russian troops have left all occupied territories.
In his plan, Danilov proposed to prosecute all Ukrainians who worked for the Moscow-appointed government in Crimea. He said some will face criminal charges while others will lose government pensions and be barred from public employment.
All Russians who moved to Crimea after 2014 would be deported. Meanwhile, all real estate deals made under Russian rule would be nullified.
The plan also includes the dismantling of the 19 km long strategic bridge – the longest in Europe – connecting the claimed Black Sea peninsula with Russia.
A truck bomb significantly damaged the bridge in October Russia pointing finger at Ukrainian military intelligence. Ukraine did not claim responsibility for the bomb, but Ukrainian officials had repeatedly threatened to attack the bridge in the past.
Politico had previously quoted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken as saying that Washington is “not actively encouraging” Ukraine to retake Crimea, and that the decision is up to Kiev.
It added that Pentagon officials have recently been questioned Ukrainethe ability to take Crimea in the near future given the ongoing fighting in both the Donbas and the south of the country.
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Last Tuesday Mr Blinken repeated this sentiment. During a virtual panel chaired by the secretary of state, he said there were “a lot of voices” suggesting Ukraine was unable to fully restore its “territorial integrity”.
He added that it is not possible or that it is “too risky and too dangerous to try to liberate Crimea”. [and] That Vladimir Putin will not give up the peninsula.”
However, Blinken went on to say: “Ukraine is by no means weak.
“We must support the brave Ukrainians and ensure that they have all the means to restore the territorial integrity of their country, including Crimea.”
In another part of the plan that has been particularly badly received by RussiaMr. Danilov advocated a new name for the city of Sevastopol – a Crimean port and the main base for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
He said the object could be named No. 6 before the Ukrainian parliament chooses another name, and suggested Akhtiar after a village that once stood where the city is today.
Moscow-appointed head of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, dismissed Danilov’s plan as “sick.”
He told the Russian state news agency Tass: “It would be wrong to take comments from sick people seriously. They need to be cured, and that’s what our military is doing now.”
Ukrainian troops are preparing to use newly delivered Western weapons, including dozens of main battle tanks, to breach Russian defenses and reclaim occupied territories in a counter-offensive expected as early as this month.