Russian forces are digging trenches in Crimea and deploying artillery in preparation for an announced Ukrainian counter-offensive.
Beaches in Crimea are reportedly closed to bathers Russian forces are digging trenches and preparing new defensive positions in anticipation of a major Ukrainian counteroffensivereports Njuzvik.
Some unconfirmed footage that has emerged shows trenches on beaches. Allegedly, it is about beaches in Crimea. If this is true, it is strange because it is known that Ukraine does not have a developed navy and the Ukrainians are not expected to attack Crimea from the sea. The authenticity of the video has not been confirmed, although it has been circulating on social networks for days.
According to the Information Resistance Telegram channel, of a Ukrainian non-governmental group that works to combat disinformation, local authorities have closed beaches for swimming across Crimea.
The channel posted a picture showing an empty beach with what appears to be a defensive fortress along the shore.
Satellite images confirm that the Russians are building a fortress from Crimea
That something big is really happening in Crimea is also confirmed by the videos of the Makar company published by the Washington Post on April 3.
They show that trenches are being hurriedly dug and defensive fortifications are being built all over Crimea. A satellite image from Vitin na Moru shows a picture of the beach on February 27. There is nothing on the beach. Not even two weeks later, on March 12, the satellite image shows that the beach is full of trenches, and there are barriers next to the sea itself.
The Russians dug trenches along 25 kilometers of the coast in western Crimea, near Vitin. Satellite images from March 31 show that artillery was also brought in, notes the Washington Post. There are also earlier recordings that confirm the existence of defensive fortifications on the coasts of Crimea.
Crimea was illegally annexed by Russian forces in 2014 and since then they have been acting as if the peninsula is an integral part of Russia, even though it is an internationally recognized part of Ukraine.
Ever since April last year, approximately two months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the yellow alert level has been declared on the peninsula. In recent weeks, there have been increasing reports of Russian forces digging trenches across the peninsula in anticipation of a major Ukrainian counter-offensive.
Ukrainians openly say that the liberation of Crimea is the main goal
Ukrainians do not hide that the liberation of Crimea is their goal, and senior Ukrainian officials have repeatedly spoken openly about military actions on the peninsula that have yet to take place. Among others, Lieutenant General Kirilo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s military intelligence service, announced in the fall that the Ukrainian attack on Crimea would begin in 2023.
The Russians apparently took these announcements seriously. The Washington Post recently published Maksar satellite images showing Russian forces building a wide network of defensive fortifications on the peninsula and along its approaches to the territory of southern Ukraine. Al Jazeera published satellite images showing the strengthening of defenses around the Russian naval base of Sevastopol.
Alexey Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, posted on Facebook what he called “12 steps to de-occupy Crimea” last Sunday. The list includes forcing all Russian citizens who came to live on the Crimean peninsula after February 2014. to leave it and the dismantling of the strategically vital Kerch Pass bridge that connects Russia with Crimea.
(World)