“This will save lives”
Selenskyj recommends that Russian Crimean troops withdraw
09/01/2023 1:21 p.m
Ukraine insists on liberating Crimea. Because the annexed peninsula is not only symbolically important for the country, but also a highly militarized area. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is advising the Russian troops to voluntarily leave the peninsula.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed once again that he can imagine a diplomatic solution for Crimea, but will not give up the peninsula illegally annexed by Russia. There can be no sustainable peace in Ukraine, and therefore also not in Europe, if Russia does not leave Crimea and the other occupied territories in Ukraine, Zelenskyy said in a video address at the opening of Italy’s Ambrosetti Economic Forum.
“It all depends on the enemy,” Zelenskyj emphasized in his message. He urged the Russian troops in Crimea to withdraw. “The question of recapture can be solved militarily or diplomatically,” said the Ukrainian president. “Russian troops should leave the peninsula without further pressure, it will save lives.”
Selenskyj had already promised a negotiated solution for Crimea last Sunday. “If we are on the administrative border with Crimea, I believe that it will be possible to politically advance Russia’s demilitarization on the peninsula,” he said in one interview on Ukrainian television. This would be accompanied by the destruction of the Kerch Bridge, trapping Russian troops in Crimea and cutting off supplies.
More than 230 military objects
The recapture or liberation of Crimea is not only symbolically important for Ukraine. It is the main base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. At the same time, there is a well-equipped military network that Russia used in February 2022 as a deployment area for the southern Ukrainian regions. In total, there are more than 230 objects on the peninsula that can be used for military purposes.
In his video speech, Zelenskyj emphasized, according to the Italian television station RAI also that Russia, contrary to what was claimed, never stood up for the Russian-born population of Crimea. “Look at what happened. Did the occupation bring civilization, tourism, economy? None of that,” said the Ukrainian president. “A peninsula that once attracted tourists and businesses is an occupied and militarized territory and cannot grow.”