The Kremlin acknowledged on Thursday that there was a “risk” of Ukrainian attacks against its positions in Crimea, a peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014 and the target of several drone strikes in recent weeks.
“There are risks, because the Ukrainian side continues to follow its line of organizing terrorist attacks,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
On Thursday, Russian authorities announced that they had shot down a drone off the port of Sevastopol, which is home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. This summer, a Crimean military airfield was partially destroyed by a Ukrainian attack. Finally, this fall, the bridge connecting the peninsula to Russia was partially destroyed by an explosion that Moscow blamed on Ukrainian forces.
“Effective measures” implemented in Crimea
It is in this context that the authorities of the peninsula announced in mid-November the construction of fortifications and trenches, after the resumption by the Ukrainian forces of part of the Kherson region, bordering Crimea. Asked about these works and if they were enough, the Kremlin spokesman remained vague.
“I cannot assess whether these (measures) are sufficient or insufficient, we would have to ask the military,” he said, while assuring that he had information that “effective measures” were being implemented.
In addition to the threat to Crimea, this week several Russian air bases, a few hundred kilometers from the front, were attacked by Ukrainian drones, according to Moscow. These attacks, associated with a series of Russian withdrawals in Ukraine, seem to show that, nine months after the start of the offensive, Russia is struggling not only to consolidate its positions, but also to protect its bases far from the front.
Source: BFM TV
