Ukraine's fire control over Crimea ‘a matter of time’, Zelenskyy says
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine. Photo: Valentyna Polishchuk / LIGA.net

Given that Ukraine has new long-range capabilities, it will sooner or later be able to strike targets over the entire territory of the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday.

In an address to the second parliamentary summit of the Crimean platform in Prague, Mr Zelenskyy said "there is no longer a single security base and no fully reliable logistics route" for the Russians on the Crimean peninsula and over Black and Azov sea coasts.

"As of today, we have not yet achieved full fire control over Crimea and the adjacent waters, but it will happen. It is only a matter of time," Mr Zelenskyy said.

The Crimean peninsula was occupied and annexed by Russia in 2014, an act that contravenes international law and has never been recognised by the international community.

Nine years later, mainland southern Ukraine was overrun by Russian troops from Crimea during the full-scale invasion.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces, however, have managed to attack the Russian forces on the peninsula with kamikaze drones and anti-ship, cruise and probably ballistic missiles.