President Zelensky, in a new interview with French television, says that “retaking Crimea has begun in people’s minds.” This puts the Ukrainian leader in the crosscurrents of a growing chorus who are of a mind that action on the Russian-occupied peninsula could be a tripwire for broader conflict. “The operation itself has not started yet,” Mr. Zelensky tells the TF1 and LCI networks, but “when it does, you’ll definitely hear about it.”

In the months since Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine, Russian air bases situated on the strategic Crimean peninsula have periodically come under Ukrainian attack. Last month Ukrainian forces blew up part of the Kerch bridge, which connects Crimea to the Russian mainland. The Russians repaired it expeditiously, though, and President Putin drove across it in a Mercedes.