Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the war in Ukraine started with Crimea and the war will end only with the liberation of Crimea.
Several large explosions rocked an airbase in Russian-held Crimea on Tuesday. A civilian was killed. Zelensky made these comments a few hours after the explosion. British media BBC Online published this news on Wednesday.
Zelensky did not mention the explosion in the speech. But last night he talked a lot about the Crimea peninsula. “Crimea belongs to Ukraine and we will not leave it,” he said.
Russia is not talking much about the explosion. They say there was an explosion at an ammunition depot. However, it was not due to any attack and it did not cause much damage. On the other hand, a top adviser to Ukraine denied responsibility for the explosion.
On paper, Crimea is part of Ukraine. But after a referendum in 2014, Russia annexed the peninsula. However, the international community considers the referendum illegal. Many Ukrainians believe that Ukraine’s war with Russia started with the annexation of Crimea.
Zelensky said the same thing yesterday. He said, we must not forget that Russia’s war against Ukraine started with the annexation of Crimea. This Russian war…starts with Crimea and must end with the liberation of Crimea.
Zelensky’s latest comments indicate that he believes Ukraine can retake Crimea before the end of the war. But he has spoken differently on the issue in the past.
He has hinted in the past that Ukraine may accept peace if Russia returns to pre-February 24 status quo. That is, their claim to take possession of Crimea again will not be considered.
Several explosions occurred near the Novofedorivka Saki military base in western Crimea on Tuesday. Close to the beach, this area is very popular with Russian tourists. In a video circulating on social media, beachgoers were seen running as the blast erupted.
Witnesses say they heard at least 12 explosions. Russia’s appointed health department in Crimea said the explosion killed one civilian and wounded eight others.
Incidentally, Russia started military operations in Ukraine on February 24 of this year.
