Former commander of the forces of the North Atlantic Alliance in Europe, Ben Hodges, said that Ukraine and its Western allies want to seize Crimea. Hodges said that due to its geographical location, Russia can block any ships entering and leaving Ukrainian ports.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his administration have stepped up attempts to revise the status of Crimea and hope to involve Western countries in this process. Deputy Mikhail Sheremet, representing Crimea in the State Duma of the Russian Federation, said Ukraine's attempts to encroach on it will entail a crushing retaliatory strike.