Ukraine will liberate Russian-occupied Crimea using military force unless Russian troops leave the peninsula, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Secretary, Oleksii Danilov, said, Ukrinform reported.

Ukraine will never be safe if Russia continues to occupy Crimea, Danilov said.

“Crimea is part of our territory, and we must liberate it. Moreover, we will liberate it. Most likely, this will be done militarily if the aggressor country does not realize by then that it needs to leave our territory. We have no other option,” Danilov said.

The liberation of Crimea is “only a matter of time,” according to Oleksii Danilov. The National Security Council chief noted that Ukraine needs to move pragmatically to liberate all occupied territories and return to the 1991 borders. Otherwise, the very existence of Ukraine as a sovereign country will be constantly under threat, Danilov said.

Related:

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• Do Crimeans await liberation from Russians?
• First English-language course about Crimea history and culture