Crimea can be liberated by end of summer, - General Hodges
With long-range missiles, Ukraine could liberate Crimea by end of summer, and Donbas by next year or even earlier.
This was stated in a comment to Ukrinform by the former commander of the US forces in Europe, General Ben Hodges, informs Censor.NЕТ.
"We are going to do everything we can to make sure that Ukraine wins this year," Hodges emphasized.
In his opinion, "it is quite possible that Ukraine will liberate Crimea by the end of the summer. But on condition that the partners provide the necessary weapons, especially long-range precision weapons. The Ukrainian Armed Forces should be able to shoot at 150-300 kilometers, and for the missile to hit the target, then the Russian Black Sea Fleet will simply have to leave the peninsula, the general said.
Hodges called Crimea a "decisive place," while Donbas is just "important." Ukraine will not be safe as long as Russia holds the peninsula. In particular, Ukraine will not be able to fully restore its economy as long as Russia holds Crimea. He explained that as long as the Russians are in Crimea, Ukraine will not be able to use the port of Mariupol. Even in Odesa, there are 140 ships waiting to leave the port, but they cannot.
"We have to help Ukraine return Crimea. This year. We want this to happen, and we have to give them everything they need," Hodges said.
In his opinion, the game changer will not be any specific weapon, be it tanks or airplanes, but the decision of the partners that Ukraine must win. As for tanks, Ukraine has its own, those it captured from the Russian army, and later Western tanks. The Armed Forces are using them very well, and the tanks will help isolate Crimea.
Hodges took out a map and showed the correspondent how he sees the situation on the battlefield. In his opinion, by keeping Russian forces around Bakhmut, the Ukrainian Armed Forces can isolate Crimea.
According to Hodges, Ukraine currently has missiles that can hit a target no more than 90 kilometers away.
