Western experts believe that if Ukraine wins the Russian war, it will happen in the temporarily occupied Crimean peninsula. The Hague Center for Strategic Studies says that Ukraine is “preparing the ground” for future airstrikes following the arrival of F-16 fighter jets. Defense forces currently strike Russian weapons on the peninsula and attack the Crimean Bridge to disrupt the occupier’s logistics. Ukraine is also destroying Russian ground-based air defense systems.
“If a limited number of fighter jets can have a real impact, it is precisely in Crimea and over the Black Sea, which becomes fully accessible after the air defense problem in Crimea is resolved,” experts noted.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies believes that Russia’s loss of Crimea will allow Ukraine to use it as a bargaining chip in future negotiations.
The Center for the Analysis of European Politics is convinced that Ukraine’s restoration of control over the Black Sea and the return of the peninsula, or even applying sufficient pressure on these territories to threaten Putin, “will mean the end of the war.”