Former NATO commander rules out Crimea returning to Ukraine

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Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Volodymyr Havrylov had a stark message for Russia on Monday: “They have to pay back for their aggression.” Speaking during a visit to Britain, where he is observing some of his troops in training, he said Kyiv was “ready” for Moscow if it reaches the “capability” — referring to further longer-range arms provided by the West — he believed his soldiers needed to defeat Putin’s forces.

Russian ships in the Black Sea regularly launch cruise missiles targeting Ukrainian infrastructure in the south.

The issue with these ships, other than the attacks, is their position, as they prevent Ukraine from exporting grain from ports such as Odesa.

Ukraine is the world’s leading wheat exporter, accounting for nine percent of the global market as well as for 42 percent of the sunflower oil market and 16 percent of corn production.

Russia’s blockade of Black Sea ports and an abundance of mines along the coast were responsible for 20 to 25 million tons of wheat being stuck in the country, pushing up grain prices everywhere.

Mr Havrylov told The Times: “We have a permanent threat from the Russian Black Sea fleet.

“Given the new technologies and capabilities we receive, we have to address this threat. We started with the operation on Snake Island.”

Speaking on Monday, he continued: “We are receiving anti-ship capabilities and sooner or later we will target the fleet. It is inevitable because we have to guarantee security to our people.

“We are ready to target them all over the Black Sea if we have that capability.”

Russia sells stolen grain from Ukraine on the black market

The minister said they also planned to take back Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014, and were in discussions with Western allies about additional weapons to target Russian forces there.

Mr Havrylov stressed: “Sooner or later we will have enough resources to target Russia in the Black Sea and Crimea.

“We have to think very carefully how to do it in the right way.

“Crimea is Ukrainian territory, that’s why any target there is legitimate for us.”

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Saying it could be taken back by diplomatic or military means, the Ukrainian official added: “Russia will have to leave Crimea if they wish to exist as a country.”

But while Ukraine’s determination in regaining territory is viewed as proof of high morale among the country’s defenders, on paper, the situation remains difficult.

Despite being bolstered by Western weaponry, Ukraine’s military is still outgunned and has struggled to halt Russian advances in several areas, including the eastern region of Donbas.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin shows no signs of a change in mindset. Quite the opposite, a Putin ally on Tuesday said peace will only be achieved on Moscow’s terms.

More than two weeks have passed since Russia’s last major territorial gain when they captured the eastern Ukrainian city of Lysychansk. However, their ambitions don’t seem to be affected by the lack of new major advances.

Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president who is now deputy head of its security council, struck a defiant tone as he signalled that Moscow was ready to do whatever it took in order to prevail.

He said: “Russia will achieve all its goals. There will be peace – on our terms.”

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