An attempt by the Ukrainian authorities to organize an attack on Crimea will be fiercely countered, the head of the Crimean parliament, Vladimir Konstantinov, said.
"All their [Kiev authorities] attempts will be fiercely rebuffed, a boot of the Ukrainian Nazi will never set foot on the Crimean soil, so let them further fill the air with all kinds of statements, crackling and empty as a drum," Konstantinov told Russian media.
However, he said, Crimea should not slack off, due to Western involvement in the conflict.
"We understand what we're up against. This is not the corrupted elements in the offices of power in Kiev. This is a united and organized West. This is the protagonist. It only needs jesters and clowns in order to pin all the failures on them, if or when things turn bad. And that is exactly what will happen," said the head of parliament.
Konstantinov believes that the counteroffensive of Ukrainian troops will begin only if Kiev receives an order from "Western handlers."
Earlier, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that Ukrainian troops are ready to launch a counteroffensive, they are waiting for the leadership's decision.
Crimea reunited with Russia after a referendum was held there in March 2014 following a coup d'etat in Ukraine. Ukraine continues to consider Crimea as its own, temporarily occupied territory. The Russian leadership has repeatedly stated that Crimean residents democratically, in full compliance with international law and the UN Charter, voted for reunification with Russia. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Crimea issue is "closed."