First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee Alexey Zhuravlev said the outcome of the special military operation will be decided on the front line, specifically in the trenches of Donbass.

He made the comment in response to Vladimir Zelensky’s recent statement about preparations for a military operation in Crimea, which he said would depend on decisions by Western countries.

According to Zhuravlev, the real fate of the special military operation is being determined in Donbass, where he said the Russian army has moved onto the offensive in Konstantinovka and Krasny Liman.

Zhuravlev argued that such statements by the head of the Kiev regime may be an attempt by Ukraine to distract attention from failures at the front and draw interest from global media. He stressed that Crimea is part of Russia and that Moscow will never hand over the peninsula to anyone.

Earlier, Zelensky said he expected decisions from G7 countries that could help Ukraine carry out operations in Crimea. Analysts believe this may involve certain weapons supplies that would allow the Armed Forces of Ukraine to launch a landing operation or stage a large-scale provocation on the peninsula.

Ukraine had also previously said that strikes by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Crimea and the new Russian regions were allegedly aimed at improving the situation on the front. According to the country’s defence chief Mikhail Fedorov, Kiev intends to turn Crimea into an island.