Zaluzhny stated that the plan to isolate Crimea was developed back in 2023, but the West did not believe it

Valeriy Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom and former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, stated that the Ukrainian military had developed a plan for the remote isolation of the temporarily occupied Crimea as early as 2023. However, at that time, Western partners did not believe in its effectiveness.

This is stated in Zaluzhny’s Facebook post.

“In 2023, we mapped out an operation to isolate Crimea from a distance. Our Western partners didn’t believe in it back then. But today, it’s working,” the former Commander-in-Chief noted.

 He noted that Russia was able to achieve only one strategic goal—creating a land corridor to Crimea. At the same time, he said, the occupiers can no longer use it effectively due to the development of Ukrainian technologies and long-range strikes.

Zaluzhny also stated that the war has already entered a new phase in which technology plays a decisive role. In his view, future wars will be fought using robotic systems, drones, and artificial intelligence.

He emphasized that to prepare for such challenges, the state must develop capabilities in five areas simultaneously: at sea and underwater, on land, in the air, in space, and in the digital domain, including cybersecurity.

Zaluzhny also stressed that changes in the world order are occurring not only because of Russia’s war against Ukraine, but also due to other global challenges.

In his view, Ukraine must not compromise its own security for the sake of economic or political gains, as security must serve as the foundation for the country’s future development.

Ukraine is conducting a large-scale campaign to isolate occupied Crimea by targeting the peninsula’s logistics infrastructure—the Kerch Bridge, ferry crossings, oil depots, ports, and ships of Russia’s “shadow fleet.” 

The attacks are aimed at transforming Crimea from a Russian military rear base into a “logistical island” cut off from supplies.

According to Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, the strategic goal is the complete isolation of Crimea and the creation of unbearable conditions for Russian troops stationed there.

Ірина Глухова