Ukraine prepares team for plan to retake Crimea

“The prospects of the liberation of Crimea dictate that it is necessary to start training personnel for Crimea now, including law enforcement agencies, judicial officers, educators and other civil servants. In the near future, relevant departments will be instructed to prepare reserve forces for Crimea,” Vereshchuk said at a meeting.

Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk. Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine

The meeting was attended by Tamila Tasheva, Permanent Representative of Ukraine in Crimea, Refat Chubarov, Chairman of the Mejlis of Crimean Tatars, members of parliament as well as representatives of public organizations.

Ms. Vereshchuk noted that there are many points to consider in the reintegration process of Crimea, including its significant population and the long period of temporary control. All of these must be taken into account when developing the legal framework and in the actual reintegration process.

Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. In October 2022, Russia continued to annex four Ukrainian provinces: Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

Ukraine has repeatedly set the goal of retaking Crimea to reduce Russia's influence in the Black Sea. Major General Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's defense intelligence agency, told the Washington Post on January 31 that the Ukrainian military "must do everything to ensure that Crimea returns to Ukraine by the summer."

However, US military officials said in early February that Ukraine's plan to regain control of Crimea was unlikely to succeed in the near future.

Meanwhile, Russia warned that any threat to Russian territories, including Crimea and four newly annexed regions, would force Moscow to use “more powerful weapons”.

Russian State Duma (Lower House) Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin has warned of a “global tragedy” if Western countries continue to supply weapons that Ukraine could use to attack civilian targets and try to seize control of Russian territories./.