Obviously Crimea News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Seeing it on the front lines. what does that say to you? >> they have a machine on that front lines that from the very start, from an expectation perspective, was going to be very difficult to think that ukraine was going to do anything and vanquish them. the counteroffensive is going about as well as it can go, given they have no air superiority on the ukraine side. i think it's in a wait and see mode. it's almost like you can't even call it a counteroffensive. we continue to try to -- >> because it's that slow? >> yeah. we try to put american military doctrine on top of this and handed them ...

That. sebastopol, the black sea fleet, is in crimea. the russians have it. they took it in 2014. ukraine had a leasing agreement with russia to it. they have to have that. from a strategic perspective. that's why they took it first back in 2014 because it was so strategic to them. so i don't see russia giving that up. perhaps they'll bring more resources down there. but again they don't have the assets on the ground to actually will take it. >> does ukraine have the 300,000 forces to go up against -- you cite that 180,000 number. that's what we heard from a ukrainian military spokesman. >> i'm...

He's got to threaten it but i don't think he can take it. >> let's talk about that because that stood out to me the moment i heard him say that. obviously crimea was illegally annexed by russia in 2014. this is what he said about the end result could look like in crimea specifically. >> translator: we cannot imagine ukraine without crimea. and while crimea is under the russian occupation, it means only one thing. war is not over yet. >> to be clear, in victory, in peace. is there any scenario where crimea is not part of ukraine? >> translator: it will not be victory then. >> is that -- do u.s....

We are united. we cooperate in any possible right progress i just wonder with that in mind, russia may be did not understand that when they came here they were taking on more than just the army. >> absolutely. we have almost 40 million people who would like to fight russia. maybe they expect us they will have something they had in crimea. they were in crisis. they come and they just stay. however now, they are in-house and they would like to take our land. they will fight us inside that land. >> can a group of civilian defenders, civilian >> and they will back the russian army? >> you know we ...

The fighting in the streets. you heard from trey yingst about what he is hearing and this is what we are seeing explosions at the palace. the presidential policy as well as a number of different government buildings. that fighting is going to be very, very intense we are told in the capital once the forces get there. there is the big picture russian control occupied territories. obviously crimea is a big launching point for the forces as well as donetsk. although these countries are sure enough, u.s. and nato forces to make sure if russia does take control. that is if the ukrainian pushback th...