It will be much easier to retake Crimea than Donbas – Ukraine's intel chief

Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate, said this while answering questions from graduates of the Kyiv School of Economics, Ukrinform reports, citing Forbes Ukraine.

"The Russians have a favorite idea about 'impregnable Crimea,' but they are wrong. There are two points of entry into Crimea -- from the Russian side and from ours: the Crimean bridge and the isthmus. The question of reconquest is our front operations: from the Russian side -- by destroying [the bridge], and from our side -- by means of pressure. And that's it -- Crimea is isolated," Budanov said.

As history shows, Budanov added, Crimea was conquered several times during numerous military conflicts, and states that sought to take possession of the peninsula usually achieved this goal.

According to Budanov, the main problem of any aggressor whose troops were in Crimea was always the inability to hold the Isthmus of Perekop, the loss of which immediately led to the rapid collapse of the defense.

"When I say that we will enter Crimea, we are already entering there," he concluded.

Photo: LIGA.net