Crimea Plan Revealed by Ukraine General

A top Kyiv official said Russia can expect more attacks like the amphibious raid Ukraine conducted in Crimea in the early hours of Thursday.

Interfax-Ukraine reported Major General Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine's Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR), discussed the raid on Ukrainian television on Thursday. The news agency said Budanov vowed a future ground operation in Crimea as well as "the recovery of our territories."

Crimea is recognized as Ukrainian territory by many countries, but Russia invaded and annexed the peninsula in 2014. Since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his war against Ukraine in February 2022, the region has seen regular drone strikes targeting Russian forces there, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has promised to reclaim the land.

In a post on Telegram, GUR announced it had conducted a "special operation" on the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula. The assault took place on the western shore of Crimea near the settlements of Olenivka and Mayak, and GUR spokesperson Andrey Yusov told a local outlet that "all tasks were completed" in the mission.

"This special operation [in Crimea] is vital, first of all, to make people believe. Primarily people not even on the territory of mainland Ukraine but in Crimea. We need them to remember and believe that victory is just around the corner. And their liberation is not far off either," Budanov said, according to a translation by Ukrainska Pravda.

He continued, "And nobody is going to just leave them there. And when there are, let's say, certain strikes on the territory of Crimea, it won't end with that. There will be a ground operation and the recovery of our territories. Everyone will soon be home."

Newsweek reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense via email for comment.

The amphibious raid was conducted as a joint operation between GUR and the Ukrainian Navy. It also fell on Ukraine's Independence Day, which celebrates the country's break from the Soviet Union in 1991.

The Military Intelligence Directorate's Telegram post about the raid included dimly lit footage of a Ukrainian soldier hanging the country's blue and yellow flag on the side of an unknown structure. The clip was also shared by GUR on its X (formerly Twitter) account.

Hours before the amphibious assault was conducted, Zelensky reaffirmed his intentions of making Crimea part of his nation once again during a Wednesday speech at an international conference in Kyiv.

"Crimea will be de-occupied like all other parts of Ukraine that are unfortunately still under the occupier," Zelenskiy said, according to Reuters.