Ukrainian military has been hit hard with new long-range missiles in recent weeks.
Russia embarrassed by its inability to defend the Krumban Peninsula, a symbol of Putin’s expansionism
Russia is holding out, judging that it will stick to southern Ukraine and block ground attacks.
The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 25th (local time) that Russia has been making intensive attacks on Russian military bases on the Krum Peninsula in recent weeks, making it difficult for Russia to use the strategically important Krum Peninsula as a supply base.
Samuel Bendette, a Russian military expert at the U.S. think tank CNA, said, “Military targets in the Crimean Peninsula are easy targets that Ukraine can use to demonstrate that the Russian military is not safe on the Crimean Peninsula and that Ukraine can attack at any time as it does not control the skies over the Crimean Peninsula.” “He pointed out.
The Krum Peninsula is a symbol of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s expansionist policy, but its failure to properly defend it is embarrassing Russia.
This is because since Russia occupied the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, there has not been an attack like the recent one.
Russia has moved its residents to the Crimean Peninsula, and many Russian tourists have visited the region due to its warm climate and stunning beaches. Additionally, local Russian-established authorities oppressed opponents. According to international human rights groups and local human rights activists, dozens of people, mainly indigenous Tartar people, are imprisoned in poor conditions.
When the Russian army invaded Ukraine last year, it used the Khmer Peninsula as a launch base and occupied the adjacent Kherson and Zaporizhia regions, thereby connecting the Khmer Peninsula with Russian-occupied territory in eastern Ukraine.
The Russian military has also used the Crimean Peninsula and the Black Sea Fleet as a base for missile attacks against Ukraine.
Accordingly, the Ukrainian military has made eliminating military threats on the Crimean Peninsula its core goal.
To this end, the Ukrainian military has been using British-made Storm Shadow long-range missiles and French-made Scalp missiles in recent weeks.
Kirillo Budanow, head of Ukraine’s military intelligence service, said that Russia’s air defense network is vulnerable to missile attacks. Accordingly, Russia had to move anti-aircraft missiles from elsewhere to the Crimean Peninsula.
He said, “The Russian military’s anti-aircraft weapons are not unlimited. We are depleting it. Politically, it is important to show that Russian anti-aircraft weapons are powerless,” he emphasized.
By attacking the Crimean Peninsula, the Russian Black Sea Fleet can also block attacks on Ukrainian grain ports.
The Russian military is distributing essential military bases, such as ammunition depots and fuel depots, to continue using the Crimean Peninsula as a supply base for Russian forces fighting a counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces in Kherson and Zaporozhye oblasts.
Dmitry Kuznets, a military expert writing for Russian media, said Russia would try to withstand a Ukrainian attack on the Khmer peninsula because it knows full well that Ukraine cannot launch a ground attack on the peninsula until it breaks down the southern Russian defenses. did.
He emphasized that the attack on the Crimean peninsula does not yet pose a decisive threat to the Russian military because the Ukrainian military lacks long-range missiles.
“The purpose of the Ukrainian army’s attack on the Khmer Peninsula is to destroy the Russian army’s supply lines and receive help from the front,” he said. This is why the attacks are not limited to the Crimean Peninsula but target the entire southern region of Ukraine. Looking at it this way, (the Ukrainian military’s achievements) are not yet significant,” he wrote.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.