A substantial Ukrainian breakthrough on the east of the Dnipro River would give Ukrainian troops a much easier and clearer path to Crimea.
Crimea
Long persecuted by Russia, Crimean Tatars are playing a significant role in preventing Kyiv from being defeated by Moscow.
The Kremlin isn’t about to lose its grip on Crimea. But Ukrainian claims that it will eventually retake it are now a bit more believable.
Russia and Ukraine are preparing for offensives this spring in Crimea, a region of strategic and symbolic importance that has been occupied by Moscow since 2014.
The Crimean annexation set up the Ukraine war. Viewing the West as weak, Putin thought he could do something bigger for the rest of Ukraine in 2022.