05/09/2026
"The outlook is very grim": Russians flee Crimea en masse
After the occupation, Russia initially tried to demonstrate the advantages of a new life to Crimea's residents, but since the onset of full-scale war, the situation has worsened year after year. Former Crimean Prime Minister Sergei Kunitsyn, who now serves in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, told Radio Liberty 's "Crimea.Realities" project this .
Now the former Crimean prime minister is closely monitoring the situation on the peninsula and believes that the outlook for its residents is becoming increasingly difficult.
He noted that after the occupation, Russia initially tried to demonstrate the advantages of a new life to Crimeans: investing heavily, repairing roads, and building hotels. However, since the onset of full-scale war, he believes the situation has worsened with each passing year. Kunitsyn attributes this to the aftermath of the war and the strikes on Russian military installations and critical infrastructure on the peninsula. He estimates that the current mood of Crimeans is significantly different from what it might have been several years ago, and the future outlook for occupied Crimea looks very bleak.
"What's the mood like now? They're all in shock. They were initially showered with money, told how wonderful life was in Russia, paved countless roads, and built hotels. But when the war started, things got worse and worse for them every year. And now, I think, their outlook is very bleak," Kunitsyn says.
Speaking about possible future developments, Kunitsyn emphasized that, from a military standpoint, separating Crimea from the rest of the Russian-Ukrainian war is impossible. In his opinion, a scenario in which Ukraine liberates only the peninsula while fighting continues in other regions is unlikely. At the same time, the former prime minister believes the war is gradually moving toward a cessation of hostilities, a ceasefire, and a negotiation process. He explains his position by the scale of human losses, which, according to him, already number in the hundreds of thousands or even millions of dead and wounded on both sides.
However, Kunitsyn doesn't question the possibility of de-occupying Crimea. On the contrary, he considers it not only realistic but also necessary, as the peninsula is Ukrainian territory.
Kunitsyn noted that just six months or a year ago, many people considered the military liberation of Crimea practically impossible. However, in his opinion, recent months have shown that the situation is changing. He noted the results of the work of the Special Operations Forces, unmanned aircraft, and assault units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. It is their actions, the former politician believes, that demonstrate that even complex military challenges regarding Crimea can be resolved.
At the same time, Kunitsyn is convinced that de-occupation will require unconventional approaches. He emphasized that a similar situation has never occurred in history, and therefore there are no ready-made solutions for reclaiming the peninsula. In his opinion, Crimea's future will depend not only on the situation at the front, but also on the solutions that can be found to end the war and restore the state's territorial integrity.
"Deoccupation isn't just possible, it's necessary. This is our territory. Yes, perhaps even six months or a year ago, they said it was unrealistic to achieve by military means. But what our Special Operations Forces, unmanned aircraft, and assault units have achieved in recent months shows that it is possible. We'll have to find innovative solutions everywhere, because nothing like this has ever happened before," Kunitsyn emphasized.
https://youtu.be/Bs-hA_iDJNM?si=_ExJQD54LTH79JJP
