In his opinion piece for the British conservative Daily Telegraph newspaper, retired British Colonel Richard Kemp does not write that Ukraine “cannot seize Crimea.” On the contrary, Kemp emphasizes that “Russia’s complete collapse is surprisingly close,” Ukraine will be able to return the Crimean Peninsula which was annexed in 2014 and “achieve the complete collapse of Putin’s forces” with the full support of its partners.
Russian websites are busy spreading disinformation, claiming that the former commander of British troops in Afghanistan “dispelled Ukraine’s dreams of seizing Crimea.” “The Armed Forces of Ukraine are not able to inflict serious damage on Crimea, there can be no talk of even a limited operation to isolate the peninsula. This opinion was expressed on the pages of The Daily Telegraph on March 1 by a retired colonel of the British Armed Forces, Richard Kemp,” writes the pro-Kremlin Ukraina.ru website.
In fact, Richard Kemp’s article in The Daily Telegraph titled A Total Russian Collapse Is Surprisingly Close never claims that Ukraine will not be able to return the annexed Crimean peninsula. On the contrary, Kemp concludes that Ukraine will be able to retake Crimea and “and bring about the total implosion of Putin’s forces, but only with our support.”
In his article, Kemp emphasizes that as Moscow’s latest offensive against Ukraine slowly but bloodily flares up, the next phase of the war is already underway. Contrary to expectations, Ukrainians courageously and successfully resist the tens of thousands of Russian recruits thrown at them. According to many Western observers however, the chances of a complete collapse of Russia next year are slim.
Richard Kemp disagrees. “I am less certain; we could be surprised. Far from being cowed, Zelensky’s government is emboldened. Kyiv is openly preparing its own major thrust against Russian ground forces in the spring. Vadym Skibitsky, Ukraine’s deputy military intelligence chief, said this week that this counter-offensive will aim to “drive a wedge” between Crimea and the Russian mainland. The Ukrainians are determined to, in his words, “liberate all occupied territories – including Crimea,” Kemp writes.
At the same time, the author emphasizes that in order to implement this plan, Ukraine must receive more military support from its partners: “Even this more limited operation would demand massively increased Western assistance, including many more tanks than have been promised, much larger quantities of ammunition, as well as long-range missile systems which so far have not been provided at all. This additional support would have to be sustained and that would mean stepping up defence industrial production in the US and Europe beyond what has been contemplated so far in this war.”
Kemp is also confident that long-term peace in Europe depends on the defeat of Russia on the battlefield. However, according to Kemp, “the scenario that Nato leaders are now planning equals the vanquishment of the West and the emboldenment of both Russia and China. It is a crying shame when the possibility of a total Russian collapse remains within reach.,” Colonel Richard Kemp sums up.
Contrary to what Russian media claim, nowhere in his article does Richard Kemp say that Ukraine will not be able to return Crimea, seized and annexed by Russia in 2014. On the contrary, he emphasizes that Russian military defeat is closer than might seem at first glance. He strongly urges NATO leaders to step up support for Ukraine with weapons and ammunition in order to achieve a stronger West and a strategic Russian defeat in order to achieve a lasting peace.
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