Major General Kirill Budanov, the Chief Intelligence Officer, believes that this year Russia should focus on doing everything possible to return Crimea to Ukraine by summer. He does not believe that an offensive from Belarus is likely, as this would only serve to distract and divide the defense forces. When asked if he believes that the entry of Ukrainian troops into the occupied Crimea would encourage Putin to use nuclear weapons, the Chief of the GUR stated that this is not true and that Crimea will be returned to Ukraine. He further stated that the conflict began in Crimea in 2014 and will end there, and that any suggestion of a nuclear strike is simply a scare tactic, as it would not only lead to Russia's military defeat, but to the collapse of the country.