Ukraine must isolate Crimea and make it impossible for Russian forces to remain on the peninsula as part of the effort to liberate it.
This opinion was expressed in an interview with Ukrinform by retired U.S. Army General Ben Hodges, the former Commanding General of US Army Europe.
“This is going to be a little bit simplistic, but there is kind of the first phase or the first step to the liberation of Crimea – to isolate it. To cut that road that goes to Dzhankoi, to destroy the bridge… And then number two, is make it untenable, unusable for the Russians,” Hodges said.
He noted that Ukraine now has the capability to strike every square meter of Crimea with precision weapons capable of reaching anywhere on the peninsula and destroying airfields, the remnants of the Russian fleet, and logistics infrastructure.
According to Hodges, Ukraine should continue striking these targets so that Russian forces realize they cannot stay there and that Crimea no longer provides them with any military advantage.
Speaking about the Kerch Bridge, Hodges noted that it had already been damaged and weakened. He stressed that the bridge carries enormous psychological significance and, as long as it stands, it will remain an obstacle to Ukraine’s ability to access the Sea of Azov, even after a peace agreement is eventually reached.
He acknowledged that forcing Russian troops to leave Crimea and subsequently deploying Ukrainian troops there would be a longer and more difficult process. The former commander believes this would happen through a broader campaign using long-range precision weapons to destroy Russia’s oil and gas infrastructure.
Hodges stressed that “Crimea is the most important terrain or geography for this war. And the side which controls Crimea is going to win the war.”
“I cannot imagine the war ending with Russia in control of Crimea and that being a long-term sustainable peace. Because as long as Russia controls Crimea, Ukraine will never be able to get up in the Azov Sea or do the rebuild of Mariupol or Berdiansk. And then of course Russia could still disrupt shipping coming out of Odesa or Mykolaiv, for example. So, Crimea has to be sorted,” he said.
As reported, Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces blocked the Russian logistics route R-280 along the Mariupol–Melitopol–Simferopol highway.
