Making Crimea 'Un-Defendable' For Russia - a new Ukrainian tactic

Ukrainian strikes against Crimea are intensifying. After the attack on the naval base in Sevastopol, explosions occurred near the popular resort of Eupatoria in the west of the peninsula. The Ukrainians are making bold moves, and this is not the end of their actions.

If things are not going well on land, you should try at sea or in the air. Ukrainians are making bold moves on the Crimean Peninsula and the Black Sea, which they have occupied for 9 years. After military intelligence (HUR) attacks on oil platforms and attacks on Sevastopol, the Ukrainians again attacked the ships of the Black Sea Fleet.

HUR released further recordings of the attacks on its official Telegram channel. This time, patrol ships of the Black Sea Fleet were targeted and at least one of them was damaged. The patrol ship "Vasily Bykov" was hit by an armed maritime drone.

But these are not the only recent Ukrainian attacks in all domains (land, water, and air). The attacks will intensify – not only on Crimea, but perhaps also in other places, perhaps also on Russian territory.

Crimea in the crosshairs...

But let's focus on Crimea itself. A few months ago, the former commander of American troops in Europe, General Ben Hodges, argued that the Ukrainians could retake the peninsula by the end of the summer. This turned out to be impossible, but the Ukrainians did not stop harassing the Russian occupiers.

After the attacks on the naval base in Sevastopol, the Ukrainians did not stop their operations in Crimea. On Thursday, drones reached the launchers of the S-300 anti-aircraft system. This is a valuable achievement because Crimea is very strongly fortified and protected by numerous air defense systems. The attack took place near the town of Eupatoria.

This benefits both NATO – because it develops capabilities and recognizes the enemy – and the Ukrainians, who on the one hand provide the necessary information and, on the other hand, launch effective strikes.

For now, it does not seem likely that Ukraine will succeed in retaking Crimea. But the Ukrainians show that the Russians are occupiers and will be harassed there. The Russian commander responsible for force protection in Crimea has probably changed several times in half a year. The impact area is huge – there are actions from land, sea and air.

... but not only Crimea

The operation is planned on many levels, and the intensity of the blows will increase. However, if someone expects an attack on the peninsula from the mainland, from the direction of Zaporizhia, then he should abandon these hopes. An increase in the number of sabotage activities is likely to be more realistic.

Crimea, as already noted above, is very heavily saturated with air defense means. The Russians protect the peninsula with everything they have, realizing how important it is and what propaganda significance attacks on this area have.

But Ukrainians are also learning. By attacking, they force Russian air defense systems to move, which shows that they are unable to cover the entire area. The depth of Ukrainian destruction is growing significantly. Ukraine has access to military know-how to which it would not have had access before the war.

Ukrainians are developing their drones and missile systems. And the deeper they can strike, the more the Russians will be dispersed. It wouldn't be surprised if HUR hit somewhere else – even Pskov.

The number of Russian WRE systems destroyed is not as large as it may seem. In Zaporozhye, Ukrainian drones still have huge problems with signal jamming.

From Kreminna to Kupyansk, the Ukrainians are doing well, but in Zaporozhye the Russians still have an advantage in this respect. The Russians probably will repeat attacks on Ukraine's energy and critical infrastructure in the fall and winter but this time – Ukraine is preparing for it.