You can't liberate Crimea without military action – Chief of Ukraine's Defence Intelligence

Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Defence Ministry, is convinced that Ukraine will liberate Crimea in a "combined way", but this is impossible without military operations.

Source: Budanov in an interview with Radio Svoboda (Liberty) project called Krym.Realii

Quote: "The combined way is not only diplomatic, not only military, there are still many different options. But without military action, this is impossible. Like I've been saying all these years…

We will bring back everything in the combined way. Now, I will not give an explanation of what it is."

Details: Commenting on his previous statements that the Ukrainian Armed Forces would enter the occupied Crimea late in spring 2023, Budanov said: "Unfortunately, we must admit that events are developing more slowly than they should by all calculations. But we've got what we've got. But we can say that we are confidently moving forward. And if you look at Crimea and the level of fighting that is taking place [not far from] there, you will understand that one can't compare it with the way it was in 2022."

Answering whether the possible destruction of the Crimean Bridge would greatly affect the logistics of the occupation forces, Budanov said that it may lead to a slowdown, but not to a disruption of logistics.

"For logistics, the main thing is not the Crimean Bridge, but the railway bridge. And there has been a ferry crossing since ancient times. It will not be the same pace, but they will be able to replenish their reserves anyway," he said.

Budanov also said that many leaders of the occupying forces took their families out of the peninsula, fearing Ukraine's counteroffensive. And some were forced to "bring back" their closest family members [to Crimea – ed.] under certain pressure.

The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate also said that since the end of autumn last year, employees of the Crimean FSB have been trying to get themselves redeployed somewhere in the Russian Federation – en masse, and by any means.

When asked how many of them were transferred, Budanov said: "Half of them for sure."

Background: In the same interview, Budanov stated that Ukraine’s defence forces were able to strike the Russians at any place in occupied Crimea.

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