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Intelligence chief: Ukraine will return occupied Crimea by force

by The Kyiv Independent news desk December 26, 2022 11:43 AM 1 min read
This audio is created with AI assistance

Ukraine will liberate the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula by a combination of military force and diplomacy, Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Intelligence Directorate, told Liga.net.

“But nothing will happen without force. Our units will go there with weapons in hand,” said Budanov. He added that Ukraine would return all the territories occupied by Russia.

“Ukraine is a country recognized within the borders of 1991, and whoever does not agree with this does not agree with the world order that has existed since the end of the Second World War and with the principles of the UN,” the intelligence chief told Liga.net.

Budanov also said he doesn’t expect a fundamental change on the Ukrainian front lines in the winter as “Russia is currently at a dead end.”

Russian troops are not particularly successful in Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast – the only area where Russia is currently conducting an offensive.

As for Russian mass missile attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, Budanov noted that Russia conducts such strikes less often than it did before due to “the rapid decrease” of its missile arsenal.

“Their industry is not capable of covering the amount they consume. Despite all their efforts, it is unreal,” said Budanov added that Russia is seeking to buy 122 and 152 mm projectiles, tank high-explosive shells, and missiles for the “Grad” and “Uragan” multiple launch rocket systems “all over the world.”

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Ukrainians react to US proposal of recognizing Crimea as Russian.

The U.S. media outlet Axios reported on April 23 that the U.S. President Donald Trump administration's final proposal for ending the Russia-Ukraine war included the U.S. de jure recognizing Russia's annexation of Crimea and de facto recognizing its control of other occupied Ukrainian territories. We asked Kyiv residents for their reactions to the U.S. proposal.
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Trump says 'nobody is asking' Ukraine to recognize Crimea as Russian.

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