General Hodges Names Key Battle For AFU Victory

The next few months will be crucial.

The West says the next few months will be decisive in Ukraine's war with Russia. Former US commander of troops in Europe, General Ben Hodges, in an interview with Insider, named the battle Ukraine must win to feel safe.

Ben Hodges believes the fight over Crimea will be key in Russia's war against Ukraine. He says Ukraine will not be safe as long as the Russian military remain on the Crimean peninsula.

"The defining ground in this war is Crimea. The Ukrainian government understands that it cannot accept Russia retaining control over Crimea. Ukraine will not be safe and will not be able to rebuild its economy as long as Russia possesses Crimea," General Hodges said.

In his opinion, over the next few months Ukraine will create conditions for the final liberation of Crimea. At the same time, Hodges noted that the Ukrainian Defence Forces need long-range, high-precision weapons, particularly ATACMS, to de-occupy Crimea.

"The transfer of weapons capable of denying Russia any cover after its missile and air strikes will enable Ukraine to make Crimea untenable for the Russians," the general said.

Hodges added that in order to liberate Crimea it would be necessary to destroy the Crimean bridge to cut off the Russians. At the same time, he criticized the Joe Biden administration for its reluctance in providing Ukraine with long-range weapons.