The entry of the Ukrainian Armed Forces into the territory of the occupied Crimea will provoke a painful reaction in Russia, but there is no need to fear a nuclear strike.

This opinion was expressed by the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.

“It will be painful for them, but they can endure it. We must give credit to their propaganda, if the enemy has something good. It is painful to admit, but we must say that their propaganda machine showed maximum effectiveness during the loss of Kherson. They showed the loss of Kherson – which was the biggest achievement of the so-called ‘special military operation’ – as if it were a commonplace. And they twisted it in such a way that it was even a good thing for them. That is, they have already worked out everything. The models for how to highlight news during events in Crimea – they are all already there, we know them well. Believe me, they will work on their society”, Budanov said.

The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate is convinced that the loss of Crimea will be presented by Russian propaganda as a “necessary step and almost a blessing”.

At the same time, Budanov is confident that there will be no nuclear strike in the event of a Ukrainian military operation in Crimea.

As previously reported, the head of the press center of the “South” Operation Natalia Humenyuk announced a new “cotton” season in Crimea. Russian propagandists use the word “hlopok” (clap) instead of “explosion”  to downplay the significance of such events, a word which also means cotton. This has led to the creation of a meme during the Russian-Ukrainian war – the cotton means explosion.