Budanov called the construction of railways in Russia a problem for Kyiv. Earlier, Vladimir Zelensky said that long-range US ATACMS missiles are not yet on Ukrainian territory, but he would like to use them to attack airfields in Crimea.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has repeatedly emphasized that the issue of Crimea is closed for Russia, and the referendum on the peninsula was held in strict accordance with international law. Crimea became a Russian region after a referendum took place there in March 2014: the majority of residents were in favor of reunification with Russia.