Mikhail Podolyak, a presidential adviser in Ukraine, believes that Russia cannot sustain its hold on Crimea, Donetsk, and Lugansk, and thinks his country can seize Crimea within five to seven months. He admits that Crimea will experience a challenging period of de-occupation after their capture. In an interview with Radio Liberty, Podolyak states that Ukraine will surely take over Crimea in six months, or possibly five to seven months. He thinks that the ongoing war will continue until all Ukraine territories are liberated. Podolyak clarifies that the war will not be limited to Crimea; it is for the democratic world’s right to exist under international law. The presidential adviser added that Ukraine would demolish the Crimean bridge, and everything associated with Russia in the area will be eradicated. Those who refuse to abide by Ukrainian regulations will also have to leave. He pledges to penalize those who changed their Ukrainian passport to Russian and became traitors. Podolyak is not the first person to make such statements. Bild, a German magazine, released an article in March stating that NATO analysts believe the next six months to be critical to Ukraine’s military operation. Ukraine’s counter-offensive will concentrate mainly on Luhansk and Zaporozhye, and it also aims to disconnect Russia’s land communication with Crimea.
Mikhail Podolyak, an adviser to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine, believes that his country will be able to seize Crimea in five to seven months. In his opinion, Russia does not have the resources to keep Crimea, Donetsk and Lugansk. After the capture, according to Mikhail Podolyak, Crimea will go through a “difficult period of de-occupation.”
“We will definitely be in Crimea in a very short time, from a historical point of view, six months, five or seven months. Perhaps this is too optimistic, but this is optimism, mathematically verified, ”he said in an interview with Radio Liberty (recognized as a foreign agent in the Russian Federation).
Mikhail Podolyak believes that “the war will go on until the entire territory of Ukraine is liberated.” “There will be a war not for Crimea! There will be a war for the right of a democratic world to exist within the framework of international law… This is not a war for territory, this is just one of the elements,” he is sure.
Speaking about the future fate of the peninsula, Mikhail Podolyak said that Ukraine would demolish the Crimean bridge and would strive to eradicate everything Russian there.
“We must completely close everything that concerns the Russian cultural space there. Everything Russian must be eradicated. There should be only Ukrainian cultural space or global cultural space,” he said. Those who do not want to live by Ukrainian rules will have to leave.
He also promised to “deal with the traitors.” “I believe that many people there should receive legal punishment for changing their Ukrainian passport to Russia and being essentially collaborators, traitors,” said an adviser to the head of the presidential office. “For Crimea to understand that it will never again be able to raise the question of some special status of its own,” he added.
It should be noted that Mikhail Podolyak is not the first to make such statements. At the end of November 2022, he promised to be in Yalta in six months.
In March, the German magazine Bild, citing NATO analysts, reported that the next six months would be critical for the military operation in Ukraine. According to the publication, the main directions of Ukraine’s counter-offensive will be Luhansk and Zaporozhye, and Kyiv also wants to cut off Russia’s land communication with Crimea.
What happens after the entry of Russian troops into Ukraine – in the online broadcast “Kommersant”.
The statements of Mikhail Podolyak provide a glimpse into the mindset of some Ukrainian officials regarding the ongoing conflict with Russia. While Podolyak’s comments may be seen as overly optimistic or even radical by some, they illustrate the determination of Ukraine to regain its sovereignty and rid its territory of Russian influence. However, it is important to note that military action and the persecution of perceived “traitors” are not the solutions to the conflict, and a peaceful resolution must be sought. The situation in Ukraine remains tense, and the world watches as events unfold. It is unclear what the future holds, but one thing is certain – the fate of Ukraine will have far-reaching implications for international relations and the balance of power in the region.