The West must ‘choke life out of Crimea’ – ex-UK defense secretary

Ben Wallace said Ukraine and its allies must make the Russian-held peninsula “unviable”

Kiev’s Western backers must help make Crimea “not inhabitable,” former British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has said.

Speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum on Tuesday, Wallace argued that Russia viewed the Black Sea peninsula as a “Holy Mount,” and that Ukraine should strike where it would inflict the greatest damage.

“We have to help Ukraine have the long-range capabilities to make Crimea unviable. We need to choke the life out of Crimea,” Wallace said.
“If it is not inhabitable or not possible for it to function… I think, if we do that, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin will suddenly realize he’s got something to lose,” he added.

He suggested that Kiev should prioritize attacks on the Kerch Strait Bridge, which connects Crimea with Russia’s Krasnodar region. Ukrainian forces struck the bridge in October 2022 and July 2023, temporarily halting traffic.

Wallace, who served as defense secretary from 2019 to 2023 and is known for his hardline stance, previously urged Ukraine to mobilize more of its population to fight Russia.

Crimea voted to secede from Ukraine and join Russia shortly after the 2014 Western-backed coup in Kiev. Home to around 2.5 million people, the peninsula also hosts Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. Since 2014, Ukraine has imposed an economic blockade, cutting power and water supplies.

The Kremlin has described the UK as “one of the leaders of this pro-war camp” due to its military aid to Kiev and calls for tighter sanctions on Moscow.