‘Final Crushing Blow’: Putin’s Men Scramble Over Feared Crimea BlitzAfter a series of crushing defeats for Russia’s military in Ukraine from the northeast to the south over the last several weeks, Russian authorities in Moscow appear to be increasingly concerned that Ukraine has set its sights on seizing back Crimea next.It is an unshakable reality.”Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his administration have been warning for months that Ukraine will work to take back Crimea from Russia.Russia just fled the strategically important city of Kherson in the south of Ukraine, a move which the top Ukrainian official in charge of Crimea told The Daily Beast in an exclusive interview would be an important precursor to seizing back Crimea.Andriy Yermak, the head of Zelensky’s office, and Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanishyna both signaled this weekend at the Halifax International Security Forum that a Crimea takeover plan is on the horizon, according to Politico.“The expressed desire of the Kyiv authorities to return to the territorial status quo of February 2014 is nothing more than flirting with their own citizens and the desire to convince them of the coming victory, an attempt to boost the morale of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and throw dust in the eyes of Western patrons in the hope of their enhanced assistance,” Bondarev said."