"The Russian Armed Forces In Crimea Are Doomed To Defeat"
- 2.07.2026, 8:45
Zhdanov predicted an inevitable catastrophe for Putin.
Military expert and reserve colonel Oleg Zhdanov stated that the potential loss of Crimea would deal a fatal blow to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, both politically and personally. He expressed this opinion in an interview “Glavred”.
According to Zhdanov, Putin declared as early as 2014 his intention to turn Crimea into an “unsinkable aircraft carrier,” however, as the expert believes, history shows that no state has ever managed to hold the peninsula for long in the face of a large-scale military offensive.
“None of those who controlled Crimea were able to hold onto it when another army launched an assault on the peninsula. Crimea’s geography is such that it is impossible to hold onto it,” Zhdanov noted.
The expert recalled that at various points in history, Crimea came under the control of the Greeks, the Ottoman Empire, the Russian Empire, the Bolsheviks, German forces, and the Soviet Union. In his view, ignorance of historical patterns leads to strategic mistakes.
Zhdanov also believes that the loss of Crimea would deprive the Russian invasion of its original political significance. He says that the annexation of the peninsula has become a key symbol of Putin’s policy as a “conqueror of lands,” and the loss of the region would call this image into question.
“For Putin, the loss of Crimea would be a fatal mistake, one that could lead not only to political but also to physical death. After all, if we drive Russian troops out of Crimea, this entire war will lose its meaning (…) Therefore, the loss of Crimea would be a catastrophe for him,” the military expert emphasized.
In addition, the expert drew attention to the public actions of the Russian leadership. According to him, Putin “continues to put on a brave face despite a poor hand” and is demonstrating that the situation in Crimea remains stable by instructing Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin to resolve issues with fuel supplies, and the head of the occupation administration, Sergey Aksyonov, to speed up preparations for the resort season.
Commenting on the situation within the Russian military leadership, Zhdanov stated that Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov had allegedly formed a group of generals within the General Staff who report directly to him on the situation at the front, bypassing Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. According to the expert, Belousov is trying to convey to Putin the real situation on the front lines, which, he claims, is “far from ideal.”