Owned by the Russian Navy Just one aircraft carrier. The service has been discontinued since 2019. I might never sail again.
However, the ‘carrier’ carried by dictator Vladimir Putin boasted Not the sad, outdated and accident-prone Admiral Kuznetsov over the years. This is Crimea. On the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Crimea in 2014, Putin used the old nickname to explain how the seizure of Crimea gave Russia control of the Black Sea.
President Putin said, “I remember we used to call the Crimean Peninsula an unsinkable aircraft carrier.” “This is what led me to say that Crimea has returned to its home port.”
But even though Russia's Crimean air base is unsinkable, its planes, buildings, and defenses are not inaccessible. And Ukraine Reach them—many.
Crimea has already Too dangerous for Russian ships. Now that may be the case. Too dangerous for Russian planes. And soon it may be too dangerous for the Russians.
Ukraine's attack Using ATACMS missiles Several S-400 air defense positions near Sevastopol were captured this week. The same weapon is already Successful airfield attack But with air defenses depleted, Russian bases in Crimea are now vulnerable to attacks from less sophisticated missiles and drones.
Russia is said to have withdrawn its fighter jets from bases in Crimea and moved them to bases in Russia. But it seems they haven't gone far enough yet. There were reports that aircraft had been withdrawn from Mozdok airfield, nearly 1,000 kilometers from Ukraine, after a Ukrainian drone attacked the base on Thursday. In May, there were reports that Russia had been forced to withdraw aircraft stationed at the Kushevsk military airfield after another drone attack. This follows the April attack on the Yeysk air base, across the Tahanrozka Gulf from Mariupol.
Ukraine has continued to attack aircraft in the south, which has not only reduced Russia's ability to defend its positions in Crimea, but has also reduced the threat of glide bombs and other air-deployed weapons across the southern front. .
According to whole bodyRussia has lost all safe space for its aircraft to operate in southern Ukraine.
Now not only the naval base in Sevastopol but also Crimea itself is under pressure. The lifting of the final ban on US-supplied ATACMS ballistic missiles and President Biden's use of them to attack targets in Russia (completely legally under Article 51 of the UN Charter) means that no part of the theater is now safe from Ukraine. It means don't do it.
As of June, there were only two supply ships to Crimea. Kerch Bridge is still operational, but at reduced capacity after two attacks. The second route is a refurbished and expanded railway line along the northern Black Sea coast via occupied Mariupol. Russia attempted to supplement this route with ferries, but Ukraine halted them.
So why doesn't Ukraine demolish the Kerch Bridge?
It is unclear whether Joe Biden would have allowed the Ukrainians to have a single warhead ATACMS capable of taking down bridges. But it is clear that no matter what ATACMS they have, they can cut the land rail whenever they want. It can be repaired pretty quickly. It is difficult to cripple a railway that has been lying on a flat area for a long time. But that supply route clearly can no longer be relied upon.
it's no longer a problem If the Ukraine can block Russia's route into Crimea. when They do it and how that action fits into the bigger plan.
The loss of Russian planes and ships is not the only factor jeopardizing Putin's position in Crimea. The actions taken by the Russians out of fear that Ukrainians would follow the liberation of Kherson across the Dnipro River had serious consequences for the long-term sustainability of Crimea.
The Telegraph even reported that some analysts… that thought. It has been a thought that has arisen several times since the illegal invasion began, but so far no action has been taken by either side.
Some are beginning to consider whether this may be Ukraine's moment of amphibious assault. Ukrainian forces have already made a determined effort to cross the Dnipro River, but the typical use of amphibious assaults is to attack the enemy's flanks. Once you land in Crimea, there is no need to attack prepared defenses as you would on a traditional front line.
Ukraine has landed few men Almost a year ago in Crimea. If it was a trial run, it would seem to indicate that even then Russia's coastal defenses were no more reliable than her air defenses.
like Kos pointed out Many times, pulling off an amphibious landing is like an 11 on a difficulty scale of 1 to 10. But if Russia doesn't see it coming and has no defenses in place, it's probably just more of a boat trip.
It will definitely be a shock to Russians. Fuck you near the north of Kharkiv.
So to speak…
Many in Kharkiv seem to point to one change in Washington, D.C., as a turning point in Russia's attempt to retake northern Ukraine.
This week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with world leaders at the annual G7 summit. Hopefully, he is getting what Ukraine needs.
Cross your fingers.