In a recent interview, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence hinted at a possible end date for his country’s war with Russia.
Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, told ABC News in an interview shared by the outlet on Wednesday that he expects the “hottest” fighting between Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces to occur in March.
Budanov added that he expects Ukraine’s military to make a large push against the invading Russians in the spring. According to him, those efforts could lead to what Ukraine feels would be an end to the war.
“This is [when we will see more] liberation of territories and dealing the final defeats to the Russian Federation,” Budanov said. “This will happen throughout Ukraine, from Crimea to the Donbas.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has long maintained that his country would not accept peace negotiations with Russia until Putin concedes the four territories it illegitimately annexed from Ukraine in September. Russian officials, on the other hand, have said Ukraine must recognize those regions as Russian territories before peace talks can proceed.
ABC News’ Britt Clennett asked Budanov about attacks on Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Putin in 2014.
“Crimea is Ukrainian territory, we can use any weapon on our territory,” he answered.
Budanov added, “Our goal, and we will achieve it, is returning to the borders of 1991, like Ukraine is recognized by all subjects of international law.”
Michael Kimmage, a history professor at the Catholic University of America, told Newsweek recently that Zelensky—emboldened by Putin’s recent battlefield losses—could very well try to regain control of Crimea.
However, Kimmage’s own speculative timeline for the war’s end doesn’t align with Budanov’s.
“I think that the safest bet is to say that it will go on until one side is sort of forced out of the conflict in one way or another,” Kimmage said. “We need to think in terms of years, not months.”
Budanov’s prediction could also be altered by a possible major military offensive from Russia that multiple Ukrainian officials have warned could occur in the coming weeks.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov told The Guardian in December that thousands of soldiers who were part of Russia’s mobilization drive in October should be sufficiently trained to take part in war efforts by February. Other top officials told The Economist last month that a Russian offensive could come as soon as January.
On Tuesday, Zelensky also spoke in an address of an upcoming aggressive effort from Russia’s military, though he did not provide a timeline.
