Head of Ukrainian Intelligence predicts Ukraine to come back to Crimea by late spring
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IRYNA BALACHUK – FRIDAY, 30 SEPTEMBER 2022, 22:19
Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Chief Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Defence Ministry, has claimed that Ukraine is going to come back to occupied Crimea; it will happen militarily and soon enough.
Source: Budanov, in an interview on the 24/7 news broadcast on 30 September
Quote: "I have been there many times. This is my second homeland, so to speak. I grew up in Crimea. And we are going to come back there quite soon. Yes, with weapons. There is no other option."
Details: Budanov expects that the war is not going to last as long as people might expect, and "soon it will be over".
Quote: "Well, I never said [it would last] 2 or 3 weeks. If you remember my statements in late May, I revealed how it would work. I said that in June, we would, unfortunately, suffer certain losses; in July, there would be a relative stalemate; and in August, we would start moving to reclaim our territory. In winter, the war will fade away, to a large extent. After the winter is over, the conflict will start reaching its end; the first stage would be us reaching the administrative borders [of Ukraine] as of 1991."
Details: Budanov added that the liberation of Crimea will happen "not in summer, but by the end of spring – perhaps, even a little earlier".
He added he was not afraid of making such predictions because "it’s not even the beginning of the end [of the war]; it’s a process, and it’s in the making".
Background:
On 30 September, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine had taken over the initiative in the war and was achieving significant results; in particular, he had confirmed the liberation of Yampil and the Armed Forces’ success in Lyman.
On 14 September, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that Crimea and other territories would be liberated from Russian invaders.
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