He noted that as long as Russia controls Crimea, Ukraine will not be able to fully use the Sea of Azov, restore Mariupol and Berdyansk, or ensure safe navigation from Odesa and Mykolaiv. For these reasons, the issue of de-occupying the peninsula is strategically important.
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“I cannot imagine the end of the war and long-term sustainable peace if Russia continues to control Crimea,” the general emphasized.
How Ukraine can liberate Crimea
B. Hodges believes that the first step towards liberating Crimea should be its isolation. This means disrupting logistics, striking transport hubs, and destroying the Kerch bridge.
“It sounds a bit simplified to me, but the first stage or first step to liberate Crimea is to isolate it, cut off the road to Dzhankoi, destroy the bridge. The second is to make it unusable, impossible for the Russians to use. Now Ukraine has the opportunity to strike every square meter of Crimea. You have precision weapons that can reach everywhere,” the general explained to a Ukrainian journalist.
According to him, constant pressure should force Russia to understand that holding Crimea no longer provides any military advantage. At the same time, he acknowledged that the hardest stage will be pushing out Russian forces and the return of Ukrainian soldiers to the peninsula.
B. Hodges also commented on the role of the Kerch bridge in the broader context of the war. According to him, despite the fact that a land corridor runs through the occupied territories, the bridge remains important both militarily and psychologically. He emphasized that this structure has already been damaged and, in his opinion, will be destroyed in the future.
“The Kerch bridge is already damaged and in some places leaking. It is a vulnerable spot, but it also has a huge psychological impact. And as long as this bridge stands, even after a final peace agreement is reached, it will be an obstacle for Ukraine to access the Sea of Azov. So sooner or later this bridge, I imagine, will collapse,” explained the former commander of the US Army in Europe.
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What Putin plans
B. Hodges believes that Kremlin host Vladimir Putin has no incentives to end the war.
In his opinion, continuing the war is a way for V. Putin to maintain power, as after all the consequences of the war he has no safe “way to withdraw.”
At the same time, the general criticized some Western politicians for looking for ways the Kremlin could retreat. He emphasized that the only way out for Russia is to withdraw its troops from Ukrainian territory, and the West should focus not on compromises with Moscow but on helping Ukraine restore the 1991 borders.
The general also commented on Russia’s nuclear threats. In his assessment, Moscow primarily uses the nuclear weapons topic as an element of informational pressure on the West.
According to the general, Russia indeed has a large nuclear arsenal but gains no real benefit from using it. The Kremlin’s main goal is to maintain fear among Western countries and influence the political decisions of Ukraine’s allies.
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