Umerov: Crimea is key battlefield for Ukraine's freedom

Russia has turned Crimea into a springboard for aggression against Ukrainians, so the peninsula is a key battlefield for Ukraine's freedom.

As Ukrinform reports, this was announced on Facebook by Ukraine’s Minister of Defense, Rustem Umerov, following the Fourth Summit of the Crimean Platform.

"Today I took part in the Crimean Platform Summit under the auspices of the President of Ukraine. For me, this is not just a meeting or an opportunity to communicate with international partners. This is my personal struggle. Crimea is my home, and every day I, like millions of Ukrainians, feel the pain of the Russian occupation for my state and for our people on the peninsula," Umerov wrote.

According to him, Russia uses Crimea for missile attacks, turning the peninsula into a springboard for aggression against Ukraine. "Therefore, Crimea is a key battlefield for our freedom. And we will not stop until we return it home," he added.

As the minister noted, over the past year, thanks to long-range weapons, Ukraine has changed the balance of power in the Black Sea and created a "grain corridor" independent of Russia, through which more than 5,000 ships passed.

"We destroyed 24 Russian ships, regained control of Snake Island, and were the first in the world to deploy drone swarm technology to counter the Russian fleet," he added.

Also, Umerov reminded that as part of strengthening Ukraine’s maritime capabilities at the last Ramstein meeting, Ukraine signed the Maritime Capability Coalition with the partners. "This will provide us with additional support in protecting our internal waters and Ukraine's interests in international maritime waters," he said.

As the Minister of Defense emphasized, "our goal remains unchanged: to return every piece of Ukrainian land, including Crimea."

"We are getting closer to this goal, in particular, thanks to such meetings as the Crimean Platform," Umerov concluded.