Why is Crimea so important in the Russia-Ukraine conflict? | | News of the Russian-Ukrainian war

Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. Now, four years into the current war, Ukraine is targeting the island with an increasing number of drones.

In response, authorities in the Russian-controlled region have declared a state of emergency, acknowledging that they are facing challenges.

This week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the start of what he called a 40-day “persuasion campaign” to force Russia to end the war.

But can Kyiv’s broad approach resolve the conflict? And why is Crimea at the center of this revolution?

Presenter: James Bays

Guests:

Leonid Ragozin – Freelance journalist covering Russia, Ukraine and Eastern Europe

Yulia Kazdobina – Senior Fellow in the Security Studies Program at Ukraine Prism Foreign Policy Council

Stefan Wolff – Professor of International Security at the University of Birmingham