Ukraine will start its efforts to retake Crimea from Russia 'quickly', its intelligence chief has stated.

The peninsula - which has been dwelling to the Russian navy's Black Sea fleet for practically 250 years - was illegally annexed and occupied by Vladimir Putin's regime in 2014. However, Ukraine has been focusing on the Kerch Bridge - which hyperlinks Crimea to Russia - in latest weeks.

Retaking the strategically important space has change into a key goal for Ukraine. Doing so would severely harm Russia's naval capabilities across the globe.

Major General Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, informed a news web site that his nation's ­forces would enter Crimea to “de-occupy” it shortly. However, Budano supplied no agency timeframe and didn't specify when the navy would start their operation.

It comes after Kyiv has launched a significant assault on Russian forces within the space round Crimea, as a part of its weeks-long counteroffensive. Ukraine has dedicated hundreds of troops to combat within the southeast space of the nation, in accordance with western and Ukrainian officers and analysts.

The surge has been centred on the Zaporizhzhia area, a Western official stated a number of days in the past. Fighting has intensified in latest weeks at a number of factors alongside the 930-mile frontline as Ukraine deploys Western-supplied superior weapons and Western-trained troops in opposition to the deeply entrenched Russian forces, who invaded 17 months in the past.

Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin says there can be no ceasefire whereas Russia is beneath assault from Ukraine. The Russian President stated Moscow has not rejected talks on Ukraine - and an African peace initiative, or one from China, might be a foundation for peace.

However, Putin stated that components of those initiatives "are difficult or impossible to implement." One factor of the African initiative is a ceasefire.