Ukraine launched an extensive attack on a Russian naval repair base in occupied Crimea on Wednesday morning, damaging two Russian warships and injuring 24 people – in what was Kiev’s most ambitious attack on the port of Sevastopol. since the beginning of the war.
The following night, Russian air defenses shot down 11 Ukrainian drones over Crimea and had to close the Kerch Bridge, which connects the peninsula to the Russian mainland.
The attacks are just the latest to hit Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. Ukraine says it ultimately intends to reclaim the region.
Strategic importance
Many of these attacks sought to damage Russian ships and naval bases stationed in Crimea. Since Russia allowed the grain deal to expire in July, its Black Sea Fleet has been used to blockade Ukrainian ports, preventing grain shipments.
The fleet has also been used to attack Ukrainian territory from the sea – particularly in bombing Ukrainian grain storage facilities and port infrastructure in Odesa.
By launching its own attacks against Russian warships and naval bases in Sevastopol, Ukraine sought to limit the operational potential of the Russian navy.
Symbolic importance
But the attacks on Crimea also have symbolic value and are intended to damage the prestige of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has made it clear that he intends to “reunite” Russia and Ukraine, which he sees as one country.
The Kerch Bridge is a physical expression of this goal. Putin built the 19-kilometer bridge – the longest in Europe – at a cost of around $3.7 billion. On the day it opened in 2018, Putin led a convoy over the bridge in a triumphant display of Russian patriotism.
Ukraine has long attacked the bridge and targeted it during the war. On October 8 last year, the day after Putin turned 70, the bridge was partially destroyed when a fuel tanker truck exploded and damaged a large section of the road.
Ukrainian authorities responded to the attack by publishing a video of the burning bridge alongside a video of Marilyn Monroe singing “Congratulations, Mr President”.
War in Ukraine: CNN follows drone flight in area occupied by Russia
Ukraine used experimental maritime drones to launch a second successful attack on the bridge in July this year, demonstrating once again how difficult it is to defend the only independent Russian link to the peninsula.
The increase in strikes in Crimea has also forced many Russian tourists to avoid the peninsula, which has been a favorite holiday destination for many years.
“I recently went there again in the hope that it will all end soon and that they will reach an agreement to end the conflict,” Svitlana, a Russian woman who worked as a manager at a tourism agency in Crimea, told CNN .
“But I stayed for four months and realized that nothing is going to end anytime soon.”
Source: CNN Brasil
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