Ukraine could be setting its sights on Crimea again, a year after it hit dozens of targets in the peninsula, as Russia is reportedly bolstering defences and digging trenches along the beaches in anticipation of a possible Ukrainian airborne assault.
Russia is building fortifications, dugouts and trenches on the beaches and has also stationed its personnel in the area, fearing Ukrainian assault along the coastline near Yevpatoria, on the west coast of Crimea, reported Kyiv Post. "Such locations are guarded, and access to the beaches is restricted," Kyiv Post quoted a Telegram post by Ukrainian guerrilla group Atesh.
Atesh added that Russia has deployed additional Rosgvardia and air defence units, including Russian military personnel, Federal Security Service (FSB) operatives, and other law enforcement agencies.
Atesh claimed that about half of the families of Rosgvardia officers had left Crimea, fearing potential combat in Yevpatoria.
Though Ukraine has not officially confirmed any potential airborne operations in Crimea, military analysts suggest that Ukraine could embark on an air assault as part of its broader strategy to reclaim the peninsula.
Atesh had earlier too reported that Russia was bracing for a potential Ukrainian airborne landing in Yevpatoria. It quoted an Atesh agent embedded in the Russia’s National Guard (Rosgvardia) who said the Russian forces were expecting a landing by a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group in the area, forcing them to reinforce defensive structures throughout the city and its surroundings.
The report comes as Ukrainian UAVs targetted Crimea and 11 other oblasts in Russia, including the city of Moscow Thursday night. "Over the past night, 121 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were intercepted and destroyed by air defence systems," the Russian Defence Ministry informed.
Last year, Ukraine hit over a dozen targets in Crime, targeting Russian air power and communications infrastructure. It also conducted a maritime offensive against the Russian Black Sea Fleet using marine drones and missiles. The Ukrainian Navy claimed Russian warships left the nearby Sea of Azov following the attack.