New Ukraine DM Vows Army Will Retake Crimea

Pledges 'Victory Parade' in Sevastopol

Addressing Ukraine’s parliament today, new Defense Minister Valeriy Heletey vowed to see the army retake Crimea from Russia militarily, saying troops would restore the country’s “territorial integrity.”

After a referendum, Crimea seceded from Ukraine earlier this year and gained accession into the Russian Federation. The move was backed by Russia, in no small part because Crimean port Sevastopol is the home of their Black Sea Fleet.

Ukrainian officials have made much of their ambition to build a larger, more aggressive military, though the nation has no money to spend on such arms, nor any realistic expectation to be able to defeat Russia militarily to retake Crimea by force.

Heletey’s comments were praised by Ukraine’s parliament, with his pledge to hold a victory parade in Sevastopol sparking an ovation of cheers from officials who can’t possibly believe that’s a realistic possibility.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.