Alushta, Perevalne, Saky, Simferopol... The night of Thursday, May 23, to Friday, May 24, was marked by a string of new bombardments in Crimea, a territory occupied by Russian forces since 2014, but which Ukraine does not intend to leave in Moscow's hands. According to several messages and images broadcast on pro-Ukrainian networks, long-range ATACMS missiles hit several localities, located in the south of the peninsula, striking a radar station here, a telecommunications center there. Two people were killed in the strikes, according to local authorities.
These targeted strikes on Crimea have been an almost daily occurrence since early spring. Almost every night, Ukrainian air and naval missiles and drones are launched against Russian military installations.
The Belbek airfield in the south of the peninsula was bombed on two consecutive nights, between May 14 and 16. Several combat aircraft and anti-aircraft systems were reportedly destroyed or damaged. The long-range radar station on Mount Ai-Petri, on the southern coast, was hit on May 12. On May 19, a missile corvette was sunk in the port of Sevastopol.
While this obsession with Crimea may have seemed legitimate when Ukrainian forces had the initiative on the ground, it is more questionable in view of the difficulties Kyiv is now facing in the North and East of the country. Why disperse resources rather than focusing them on the assaults carried out by Moscow's troops in the Donbas and the Kharkiv region? Wouldn't the drones and missiles launched at Russian airfields and bases in Crimea be more useful in helping Ukrainian brigades contain enemy advances on the mainland?
According to Western analysts, Ukraine cannot afford to neglect the peninsula. "Crimea was presented by [President] Volodymyr Zelensky as the strategic priority of 2024. The Ukrainians are obliged to remain active there, even if their concerns today lie more in the Donbas and the Kharkiv region," said Thibault Fouillet, scientific director of the Institute for Strategy and Defense Studies.
Ukrainian successes in the region, such as driving the Russian Black Sea fleet out of the port of Sevastopol, are also helping to counterbalance setbacks in the north and east, which is useful in bolstering morale among troops and the public.
While most of the fighting is taking place on the mainland, Crimea also remains an important logistical hub for supplying the Russian army on the southern front. Rail convoys continue to pass over the Kerch Bridge, even though damages to the structure in 2022 and 2023 have made it necessary to limit the tonnage transported. Numerous shuttles cross the Sea of Azov to the peninsula's east coast to supply Moscow's troops.
You have 44.2% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.