We must do everything to ensure that Crimea returns home by summer: Ukraine's Intelligence Chief

Major General Kyrylo Budanov, Head of Ukraine's Defence Intelligence, believes that this year Russia will focus on occupying a larger area in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

Source: Budanov in an interview with The Washington Post; Ukraine's Defence Intelligence

Details: Budanov considers the resumption of the offensive by Belarus unlikely. As he states, such a step can only indicate the intention to distract and divide Ukraine's Armed Forces.

He has also added that "we must do everything to ensure that Crimea returns home by summer."

When asked whether he believes that the entry of Ukrainian troops into occupied Crimea will prompt Russian President Vladimir Putin to use nuclear weapons, Budanov said: "This is not true. And Crimea will be returned to us. I'll tell you more: It all started in Crimea in 2014, and it will all end there."

Quote: "It's a scare tactic. Russia is a country that you can expect a lot from but not outright idiocy. Sorry, but it's not going to happen. Carrying out a nuclear strike will result in not just a military defeat for Russia but the collapse of Russia. And they know this very well."

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