Why is Crimea critical to the Ukraine war? | Inside Story

Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. Now, more than four years into the current war, Ukraine is targeting the peninsula with increased drone attacks. In response, authorities in the Russian-controlled region have declared a state of emergency, admitting they're facing challenging times. This week, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the start of what he called a 40-day 'influence operation' to push Russia to end the war. But can Kyiv's broader strategy successfully end the conflict? And why is Crimea at the centre of this shift? Presenter: James Bays Guests Leonid Ragozin - Independent journalist who focuses on Russia, Ukraine and Eastern Europe Yulia Kazdobina - Senior Fellow in the Security Studies Programme at the Ukrainian Prism Foreign Policy Council Stefan Wolff - Professor of International Security at the University of Birmingham Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on Twitter:   / ajenglish   Find us on Facebook:   / aljazeera   Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page:   / aljazeeraenglish   Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #Crimea #UkraineWar #RussiaUkraineWar #DroneAttacks #Kyiv #Moscow #BlackSea #WarInUkraine #Zelenskyy #Russia #AlJazeeraEnglish