"New surprises await the enemies." Budanov says DIU special forces are already in Crimea and hints at fate of Putin's bridge

Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov said that Ukrainian special forces have already been in the temporarily occupied Crimea. According to him, the defenders conducted an operation on the peninsula in 2023.

He also hinted that new "surprises" are waiting for the illegal Crimean bridge. Budanov said this in a video message on his Telegram channel.

The DIU chief emphasized that Russia's war against Ukraine began not 2 but 10 years ago, with the occupation of Ukrainian Crimea. He added that neither the Ukrainian state nor Ukrainians agreed to recognize the aggressor's right to the peninsula. The commander also noted that the resistance of the local Ukrainian population against the occupiers did not subside for a moment, despite the repressions.

Budanov said that for a successful defense and counteroffensive, Ukraine must control the Black Sea and be present on the Crimean peninsula. He also said that a number of tasks have already been accomplished.

In particular, Russia lost a quarter of its ships and was forced to withdraw its fleet to the Caucasus coast. The enemy has also redeployed its aviation, as Crimea's airfields and military facilities are constantly under Ukrainian fire.

The DIU chief also hinted at the fate of the illegal Crimean bridge, which temporarily connects the Ukrainian peninsula with the territory of the aggressor country, Russia. Budanov said that new surprises await the enemies. At the same time, he recommends that civilians not use the Crimean bridge.

"We owe our successes to the residents of Ukrainian Crimea, who not only strengthened their resistance to the occupiers, but also find the opportunity to monitor the entire operational situation on the peninsula and pass this information to us as soon as possible," Budanov summarized.

As a reminder, the leader of the Crimean Tatar people Mustafa Dzhemilev suggested that 2024 could be the year of de-occupation of Crimea . Now it can be done only by military means, so Crimeans should stay away from the military facilities of the Russian invaders.

As OBOZ.UA wrote:

- Recently, the head of the Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, suggested that it would be more difficult for Ukraine to drive the occupiers out of Donbas than from the territory of Crimea, which was temporarily seized by the enemy. He explained that the army of the aggressor country Russia has established continuous supply lines to the east of our country.

- Commander of the Ukrainian Navy Oleksiy Neizhpapa is confident that the Crimean bridge illegally built by the Russian occupiers across the Kerch Strait will not exist. In his opinion, this strategic object for Russia may not survive until the end of 2024.

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