If Ukraine shows signs of weakness in the north-east of the country, particularly in the Kharkiv region, Volodymyr Zelensky’s army has not said its last word.
L’“special military operation” launched in February 2022 by Vladimir Putin is carried out on different axes of Ukraine. If the battle is difficult for Zelensky’s men, his troops are doing well and are even recovering ground on certain front lines, such as in the Black Sea, where exploits are regular, or more recently in Crimea, part annexed since 2014 , says the magazine Geo.
Increasing attacks
Several European countries (Germany, France, Denmark, Finland, Sweden) have authorized Ukraine to strike the enemy with their weapons, on enemy territory, even if some are still prohibited, such as ATACMS missiles which have a range of 300 kilometers. Joe Biden also gave his endorsement. With such a decision, the conflict could take a new turn.
If Crimea has been annexed since 2014 by Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian soldiers have achieved certain feats in this area. In mid-April, the Russian Dzhankoi air base was attacked. This basis considered as “major logistics hub”many Russian devices and machines, very expensive it must be noted, would have been destroyed, reports Newsweek.
“A successful operation of the Ukrainian armed forces at the Dzhankoi military airfield ” allowed to ” destroy or seriously damage “S-400 system launchers, radar equipment and an anti-aircraft defense control center,” Ukrainian military intelligence (GUR) said on Telegram.
In May, the Belbek base, near Sebastopol, was targeted. Planes, radars and launchers were destroyed during the Ukrainian assault. Finally, last Friday, attacks were carried out on strategic points such as the Kerch Strait, where Crimea’s supplies transit, indicates Politico.
Isolate Crimea
The damage that was done to the Dzhankoi air base would jeopardize the protection of Russian bases in Crimea, according to Nico Lange, former advisor to the German Ministry of Defense interviewed by The Economist.
With the multiplication of these attacks, Ukraine’s objective is gradually taking shape: to isolate the peninsula from Russia by cutting the Kerch bridge. With the damage to essential infrastructure and logistics platforms, the Kremlin decided to react and built “an 80 kilometer long stretch of railway connecting existing lines to the east and south of the occupied zone in Ukraine”noted Geo.
