Claiming that he could visit the de-occupied peninsula as early as 2023, the Ukrainian President said that the Reconquest of Crimea has supposedly already started in Ukrainians’ heads. “Although no operation is underway, process of taking territory from Russia started in people’s minds”, Zelenskyy added, according to RT.
“The operation itself has not yet started”, said Zelenskyy when asked about Kyiv’s plans for Crimea. “When it starts, you will definitely hear about it”.
Zelenskyy further claimed that it was not enough for Kyiv to just repeatedly state that the peninsula is a part of Ukrainian territory. Ukraine should be ready to retake it by force, he said, adding that Russia would hardly give up on it.
Zelenskyy did not provide any details on when the alleged operation took place, but said he “love Crimea” and would be “happy to come to our unoccupied Crimea”, adding that it would be “Well” to get there in the summer of 2023.
Earlier this week, Aleksey Danilov, the head of Ukraine’s national security and defense council, also said that Ukraine plans to take the peninsula back. "We will fight for Crimea if needed," he said, adding that Kyiv would not ask for permission to do that.
Crimea has been a part of Russia since a 2014 referendum in which residents there voted overwhelmingly to join Russia in the wake of the Maidan coup in Kyiv. Zelenskyy has repeatedly stated that he intends to seize control of Crimea, along with the four former regions of Ukraine that recently voted to join the Russian Federation, the RT's reports concluded.
SKH/PR