Russian President Vladimir Putin has been warned Ukraine may get one step closer to the end of the war if Kyiv’s military achieves one of its major goals.
A top aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mykhailo Podolyak, said one of Kyiv’s strategies is to eliminate Crimea as a source of fresh troops and military aid directed at the frontline.
The peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014, is particularly important for Kyiv not just because it is part of its internationally recognised territory but also due to the fact some 80 per cent of what is needed by Russia on the frontline transit through Crimea, Mr Podolyak said.
In light of the recent attacks on the Black Sea Fleet’s headquarters in Sevastopol, the top aide acknowledged Ukraine is succeeding in its attacks on Crimea.
And, should Kyiv manage to destroy the Russian military logistics centre in Crimea as it is planning, the aide believes it could have important repercussions for the war.
Asked if he believes eliminating Crimea as a logistic point could lead to the end of the war, Mr Podolyak told Italian news outlet Corriere.it: “It will surely be a major success. Russians will become weaker, it will take only a few days for that to become apparent.”
Russian frontline troops will panic, he added, and Moscow’s political rhetoric will need to change and resort once again to nuclear threats.
Most notably, he believes those in the West who back Russia will “begin to speak about the need for a ceasefire or for peace talks”.
To stop Russia from feeding the frontline with resources coming from Crimea, Ukraine has a three-point plan, Mr Podolyak said.
He explained: “We have planned the attack in three phases: Destroy the communication systems and radars to open the skies upon the Black Sea – and we are doing that very well.
“The second phase is the destruction of the Black Sea Fleet, or at least its removal from Crimea – and we are achieving that.”
The third and most important phase will be to compromise the logistics infrastructure in Crimea of the Russian Army, Mr Podolyak said, including food and fuel storage, barracks and Kerch Bridge.
The bridge built by Putin in 2018 to link Crimea to Russia has already been damaged in the past few months – most notably in July, when twin explosions forced the temporary closure of the key conduit.
While Ukraine didn’t immediately claim responsibility for the attack, the country’s security services said the following month to have targeted the bridge with remotely controlled sea drones carrying 850kg of explosives.
