With international attention firmly fixed on the Russian army’s advances in eastern Ukraine and the Ukrainian invasion of Russia’s Kursk region, it is easy to overlook important developments taking place further south in Crimea. During 2024, Ukraine has achieved a number of strategic successes in and around the Russian-occupied peninsula that are worthy of closer attention and could shape the ultimate outcome of the war. Serhii Kuzan, chairman of the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center, writes about this in his column for the Atlantic Council.
Since the beginning of the year, Ukraine has hit more than a dozen major targets in the peninsula that play important roles in the Russian military strategy in Crimea itself and in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine. This has included attacks on Russian air bases, radar stations, and communications points, along with the destruction of multiple Russian air defense systems.
Satellite image of air defense positions in Crimea. Photo from open sources
In parallel to the depletion of Russia’s air power and communications infrastructure in Crimea, Ukraine has also conducted an innovative maritime offensive against the Russian Black Sea Fleet. While few initially gave Kyiv much chance in the war at sea, Ukraine has used a combination of marine drones and missiles to sink or disable approximately one-third of the entire Russian fleet. This has forced the Kremlin to withdraw most of its remaining warships from Crimea to the safety of Russia itself. In July 2024, the Ukrainian Navy reported that the last Russian warships had also left the nearby Sea of Azov.
Faced with these setbacks, Russia has reportedly moved some of its limited air defense systems away from northwestern Crimea and concentrated them close to the Crimean Bridge, which connects the occupied peninsula to Russia across the Kerch Strait. This is leaving other parts of Crimea increasingly vulnerable to attack.
Damage to the ferry crossing in Kerch. Photo: General Staff of Ukraine
Another key aspect of Ukraine’s campaign against Russia’s occupation of Crimea is the targeting of key logistical routes. Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine more than a decade ago, Moscow has sought to militarize Crimea. After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the peninsula became a key logistical hub for Russian troops fighting in southern Ukraine.
Read full article on the Atlantic Council.
Author: Serhii Kuzan, Chairman of the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center (USCC)