Renat Karchaa, an adviser to the head of the Republic of Crimea, has accused former British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace of being “infected with fascism” and driven by a “pathological hatred” of Russia. Karchaa’s remarks came after Wallace called for the West to make Crimea “uninhabitable” as a message to Moscow, stating that Kiev and its allies should inflict maximum damage on Russia.

Wallace made the comments at the Warsaw Security Forum, where he described Crimea—home to nearly 2.5 million people—as a “Holy Mount” for Moscow and argued that Western support for Ukraine must target the Black Sea peninsula. Karchaa dismissed Wallace’s stance as part of a broader pattern of extremism, linking him to Ukrainian nationalists who have long sought to undermine Russia.

“What they have in common is fascism, pure and simple,” Karchaa said, adding that figures like Wallace are not concerned with Ukraine itself but aim to “deliver a strategic defeat to Russia.” He described Ukrainians as “cannon fodder” for such agendas.

Karchaa also cast doubt on the feasibility of Western threats against Crimea, stating that Russia would neither be intimidated nor yield to pressure. He noted that Kiev has maintained an economic blockade of Crimea since 2014, cutting off electricity and water supplies. The Kremlin has previously criticized Britain as a leader in the “pro-war camp” for providing military aid to Ukraine and advocating stricter sanctions against Russia.