Ukrainian special forces use tactical distraction strikes in Crimea

A swarm of Ukrainian jet skis crosses the ocean under a dark sky. They are only visible with a drone’s infrared camera. Jet skis slow down as they approach the coast to avoid detection and rush to get onto dry land.

“A Crimea will be Ukrainian,” says one of the men in a video seen by CNN. He had just disembarked and was holding a national flag. Ukraine .

The soldier’s code name is “Muzykant”, which means “the musician”. After all, he is a violinist who became a soldier in the Ukrainian special forces. Muzykant is the platoon leader of the Bratstvo battalion that, along with Ukrainian defense intelligence and other units, infiltrated Crimea earlier this month.

“I was high on adrenaline,” Muzykant told CNN , remembering that the entire operation seemed like a fog in his mind. “I only realized I had been in Crimea after we returned to our base. I realized we had completed a colossal task,” she said.

The amphibious operation, in early October, was an infiltration by Ukrainian special forces into Ukraine’s largest stronghold. Russia in occupied Ukraine. It is part of a recent approach by Kiev to increase its attacks on the peninsula. The exact date and time of the attack, as well as the total number of men involved, have not been released.

Muzykant was one of ten Bratstvo battalion soldiers involved in the night raid on Crimea, in cooperation with other Ukrainian units. They navigated rough seas in larger speedboats, then switched to jet skis when they were within reach of the peninsula. They then raced toward the coast, destroyed Russian military equipment placed on the seashore, and returned, all in a matter of hours.

The aim was not only to sabotage some of the military equipment that Russia keeps near the coast, but also to convey a message to Ukrainian citizens in the region.

VIDEO – Russian missile attack leaves more than 50 dead in Ukraine

“We did this so that people in Ukraine and occupied Crimea do not lose spirit and keep the faith of Crimea returning to Ukraine,” Muzykant said. Russian forces illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. The peninsula has deep symbolic importance for Russian President Vladimir Putin and is a vital and strategic logistical hub for the war effort. war of the Kremlin.

Muzykant said the dangerous operation took months of planning to prepare Ukrainian soldiers for the many risks they would face.

“When disembarking, the sea was very rough, with waves of up to two meters,” he said. “Also, Russian warships, the Raptors, patrolled there. There were four of them, each with a crew of 20 Russian soldiers armed with heavy machine guns and a 30-millimeter gun,” he said.

Even so, the Bratstvo battalion managed to navigate between the threats, reached the peninsula and carried out its task.

Images show the destruction of the war between Russia and Ukraine

Source: CNN Brasil

You may also like