Crimea has been turned into a “peninsula of fear”, trapped between severe political repression by Russian occupying forces and a tightening war zone caused by Ukrainian drone and missile strikes.
The Ukrainians are transforming the Crimean peninsula into an isolated Russian military outpost that is proving increasingly less and less able to protect and feed itself, as the supply lines are choked by drone attacks.
Lancet Drone. Image Credit: Russian State Media.
While the Russians are once again targeting the Tatar population, which comprises about 12 percent of the population, similar to what Stalin did during World War II, by trying to “Russianize” the population and sending Tatars to prison in Siberia, the Russians are being attacked by Ukraine daily.
Ukraine has heavily targeted the “land bridge” supply lines, striking fuel convoys, military sites, and transport hubs. This has created widespread panic and severe fuel shortages for residents and the many Russian tourists who flock to the Black Sea resorts every summer.
Many Russian military analysts now consider the land bridge to be nothing short of a “highway of death” for Russian logistics.
Ukraine Says This Is “Just The Beginning”
Fuel shortages have caused long lines at gas stations, and black market gas has caused prices to skyrocket more than four times the average price, as many Russians, in fear of the drone attacks, attempt to flee back to Russia.
“Crimea’s key problem is not because there’s no fuel,” Nikolay Mitrokhin, a researcher with Germany’s Bremen University, said to Al Jazeera. “The problem is that Ukrainian drones began barraging over the peninsula’s domestic roads.”
Drone operators from the 3rd Separate Special Purpose Regiment of Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SOF) established aerial control over a vital Russian land supply route to Crimea.
By operating drones along the Melitopol–Chonhar corridor, they are systematically intercepting fuel tankers and destroying military hardware, isolating the peninsula.
Lancet Drone from Russia. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
“That’s just the beginning! There’s more to come!” Ukrainian commander Yuri Nastenko stated. “What will happen? I simply suggest everyone buy some popcorn. Sit down, watch, and enjoy,” he said. In a related Facebook video featuring footage of exploding and burning trucks, the point was driven home.
The Chonhar Bridge Damaged By Drone Attacks
Last week, a drone attack severely damaged the bridge, resulting in only light vehicles (1.5 tons or less) being able to cross it. Now, larger vehicles, such as fuel tankers, buses, and other trucks, are forced to cross back and forth using a nearby pontoon bridge.
Overnight, new attacks on the bridge further damaged it, after which traffic through the Dzhankoi road checkpoint was suspended, according to Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-appointed head of the occupied part of Kherson region.
“Overnight strikes were also carried out on the bridge connecting Henichesk with the Arabat Spit. Traffic on it has been suspended,” he said.
Russian logistics are being forced to camouflage fuel trucks to resemble milk trucks so fuel convoys can travel on the embattled highways.
“It has reached the point where they are already constructing false superstructures over fuel trucks, disguising them as civilian cars,” Dmytro Pletenchuk of Ukraine’s Navy said.
Switchblade Drone. Image Credit: Industry Handout.
“We have information that they have begun using vehicles intended for transporting food products – for example, milk tankers – to move fuel.”
Panic Buying In Crimea Shows The Desperation Of Moscow
Residents in the Russian-occupied region of Crimea are reporting empty shelves in grocery stores and purchase limits on several basic goods.
Russian authorities deny that there is panic buying on the peninsula amid a regional transportation collapse and fuel shortages caused by Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries and on the so-called land corridor to Crimea.
But a video from Radio Free Europe showed plenty of empty shelves as the peninsula becomes further isolated.
Russian reporters claim that the situation in Crimea is only getting worse, and some are saying that by the fall, without a reversal of fortune, the peninsula will be under siege.
Many Russian hardliners have begun questioning the situation on Russian television. One talk-show host, Vladimir Solovyov, who is typically a mouthpiece for the Kremlin and Putin, warned that Ukraine is “actively cutting” Russian logistics and may be preparing a large-scale amphibious landing operation in Crimea.
Russia’s Air Defenses Can’t Stop Ukraine’s Drones
Russia had planned on making Crimea more secure via the land bridge corridor, but due to the drone strikes, it has shown to be anything but. President Putin and Moscow touted the seizure of Crimea in 2014 by “little green men” as a permanent state of being part of Russia.
Now, the Russians are hard-pressed to hold onto the occupied territories that were seized.
Combined with drone strikes inside of Russia itself, these drone attacks in Crimea are part of a broader campaign by Ukraine to critically degrade Russia’s southern supply corridors and weaken the Russian economy.
Russian military cargo traffic and freight volumes on key supply routes into Crimea plummeted by 71 percent over a two-week period, dropping from roughly 3,800 to just 1,100 vehicles per day. Crimea, instead of being a jewel for Russia, is now a liability that it cannot feed or protect.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
