With the presence of long-range missiles, Ukraine can liberate Crimea by the end of summer, and Donbas — next year or even earlier.

General Ben Hodges, former commander of the US forces in Europe, said this in a comment to Ukrinform.

In an interview with TSN.ua, military expert Oleg Zhdanov noted that Ukraine was talking about this before Ben Godges.

"Indeed, Crimea is much easier to liberate than Donbas. Because Crimea is a peninsula. Everything will depend on the availability of weapons with a range of 150 to 300 km," the expert noted.

If Ukraine returns Crimea to the status of a peninsula, namely, cuts off the Crimean bridge as an artery for the supply of military supplies to the Russian Federation, then in the presence of such missiles, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will repeat the Kherson operation.

"We are systematically starting to take out all military facilities and will continue to strike until they raise the white flag. And when they do, we will calmly enter Crimea," added Zhdanov.

With Donbas, according to him, it will be much more difficult, so the reason is the direct border with the Russian Federation.

"Even if we destroy the railway, which is the most important thing for them, the main highways remain for dirt roads. The Russians went to Ilovaisk in columns along the dirt roads and formed a ring around our troops. The situation in the Kharkiv region can play a key role there "Whether we will repeat it or not is difficult to predict. But we will try. I mean the cascade collapse of the front," Zhdanov said.

According to him, if there are defense breakthroughs and at least some part of the troops will be thrown into chaos and panic and run from their positions, this can cause mass flight and abandonment of positions and equipment.

"Then we go to the border. As soon as we do that, we must immediately invite official foreign observers and place an OSCE officer at each border post," he added.

It will be recalled that US General Ben Godges showed the plan and map of the liberation of Crimea the day before.

He stated the need to provide Ukraine with all the necessary weapons in order to liberate the occupied Crimea.

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