The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, Kyrylo Budanov, has denied the assumption that the advance of Ukrainian forces into Crimea would provoke Russian President Vladimir Putin to deploy nuclear weapons against Ukraine.

That’s according to Budanov’s interview with The Washington Post, Ukrinform reports.

“This is not true. And Crimea will be returned to us. I’ll tell you more: It all started in Crimea in 2014, and it will all end there,” Budanov said, answering a journalist question of whether Russia could nuke Ukraine if the latter’s army enters the temporarily occupied Crimea.

READ MORE: https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3662668-ukraines-top-spy-believes-ukrainian-troops-crossing-into-crimea-not-to-trigger-nuclear-strike.html