Vladimir Putin's Cronies Melt Down Over Crimea Threat from Ukraine in Russian Media - The Daily Beast

Ukrainian officials person been informing for months that—in summation to kicking Russia retired of territories seized this year—they besides mean to instrumentality backmost territories stolen earlier the war, including Crimea, the peninsula illegally annexed by Russian President Vladimir Putin successful 2014.

And though Ukraine’s messaging connected the substance is simple—that Ukrainian triumph is astir taking backmost Crimea, too—Russia’s effect has been garbled successful caller days. While immoderate are urging Moscow to instrumentality the menace of a Ukrainian Crimea run seriously, others are moving to downplay it.

The alleged caput of the committee of the Crimean parliament connected nationalist diplomacy and interethnic relations, Yuri Gempel, indicated Wednesday that Ukraine’s statements astir taking backmost Crimea are hogwash.

“Such statements are a fountain of brainsick and sick fantasies. It seems that Zelensky's squad makes each statements connected the contented of Crimea successful a besotted state,” Gempel said, according to RIA Novosti. “The essence of their statements has thing to bash with reality.”

The statements are thing but a governmental effort to rally Ukrainians down the cause, said Alexei Chepa, the archetypal lawman caput of the State Duma Committee connected International Affairs.

“These are mean governmental statements for their voters. Everyone understands that determination is thing down them,” Chepa said.

But then, lone hours later, Russia’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that the menace of Ukraine going aft Crimea is “real.”

“As the enactment of Russia has repeatedly said, these threats volition beryllium eliminated,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, citing revelations contained successful documents Russian forces allegedly recovered during the war. They “convincingly bespeak that the Kyiv authorities was earnestly preparing for a large-scale offensive,” albeit successful 2022.

The conflicting statements are the latest to look from the Russia aft weeks of defeats person unsettled the Kremlin’s narrative that Moscow is winning successful the warfare successful Ukraine. After losing territory successful the northeast of Ukraine, and past retreating from the metropolis of Kherson, Russian authorities person been hinting that they judge Ukrainian forces whitethorn beryllium zeroing successful connected Crimea next.

The Ukrainian authoritative successful complaint of Crimea, Tamila Tasheva, told The Daily Beast earlier this period successful an exclusive interview that, portion quality suggests that Ukraine could instrumentality backmost Crimea astir the outpouring oregon summertime of adjacent year, she thinks it whitethorn hap sooner.

Now that Kherson is liberated, Russian authorities are alert of Ukraine’s posturing for a Crimea campaign. Russia has been moving to mobilize men successful Crimea this month, according to a little from the the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Other Russian officials person been moving to guarantee the colonisation successful Crimea that everything is going to beryllium fine, and that Russia is moving to bolster its defenses. Some civilians person reportedly begun fleeing Crimea for fearfulness of a antagonistic determination from Ukraine.

If Ukraine is capable to footwear Russia from Crimea, it would correspond a crushing stroke to Putin’s takeover plans for Ukraine. Much of Putin’s governmental legitimacy derives from the amerciable annexation of the peninsula successful 2014, aft which his popularity surged. Losing Crimea would spot distant astatine his governmental foundations, immoderate experts say.

Refat Chubarov, a Crimean Tatar leader, told Ukrainian Radio NV it would origin the Kremlin to crumble.

“This Ukrainian territory is highly important for Putin. This is the question of his life, and not lone political," Chubarov said, according to Newsweek. “Therefore, it is wide that Russia, particularly astatine the signifier of inevitable defeat, volition stimulate each its agents and each its forces successful bid to support Crimea for itself.”