Series of Explosions Rock Crimea
3 March 2024, 10:20 GMT
Updated 1 hour ago
The Kerch bridge – which links Crimea and Russia – was temporarily closed following the attack
A series of explosions have rocked Crimea, following a reported Ukrainian drone attack on the peninsula which was annexed by Russia in 2014.
Reports of Drone Attack
Video footage posted online shows a blast allegedly near a fuel depot in the south-eastern city of Feodosiya.
Russian officials have reported shooting down 38 drones, and as a result, the Kerch bridge connecting Crimea with Russia was temporarily closed.
Amid these attacks, Ukraine has appealed to its allies to provide enhanced arms supplies.
Ingress Into Ukraine
Russian forces have gained strategic ground in Ukraine in recent times as Kyiv struggles to support its troops with Western-made weaponry. Last month, Moscow took control of the important eastern town of Avdiivka.
Notably, British military intelligence estimates that February has been the deadliest month for the Russians, with an average of 983 casualties per day since the start of the full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022. It is believed that Russia may have suffered over 355,000 personnel deaths or injuries during the Ukraine conflict, although the exact figures remain uncertain.
On the other side, Ukraine has reported the loss of 31,000 troops since the conflict started, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claiming that 180,000 Russian troops have been killed during the same period.
Attack on Crimea
No significant damage has been reported from the latest attack on Crimea by Russia, although witnesses have mentioned windows shaking and car alarms going off. Ukrainian authorities have not yet confirmed their involvement.
This incident follows a drone strike on a residential building in the Ukrainian city of Odesa, which claimed the lives of at least 12 people, including five children. Odesa and the surrounding region observe a day of mourning today. Additionally, Russia targeted the southern Kherson region, resulting in one fatality and three other injuries, as confirmed by Ukrainian officials.
Russian forces have been utilizing Iranian-made drones to conduct thousands of attacks on Ukrainian targets since their invasion two years ago. As a retaliatory measure, Ukraine has been targeting Russian sites, particularly oil facilities. It is worth noting that on Saturday, a drone struck a residential building in St Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, causing a large-scale evacuation and fortunately resulting in no casualties.
Long-Standing Conflict
Crimea, with its airbases, troop concentrations, training grounds, and the Black Sea fleet, has remained a key target for Ukrainian forces. In the past, Ukraine had considered launching a full-scale attack to retake the peninsula.
Of significant strategic importance, Ukraine has repeatedly conducted successful operations against Russia’s Black Sea fleet. Satellite imagery from last year revealed the movement of many warships, previously based in Crimea, to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.
Various Russian naval vessels have been targeted, with the sinking of the Russian landing ship Caesar Kunikov off the coast of Crimea and the damaging of its sister ship Novocherkassk while in port in Feodosiya. Another significant strike occurred when Ukraine attacked naval targets and port infrastructure last September, causing a fire at a Sevastopol shipyard.
Moreover, the Kerch bridge, an essential resupply route for Russian forces in the occupied territories of Ukraine’s south, has been repeatedly targeted.
Dependency on Western Allies
Ukraine’s fight against the much larger Russian military force, equipped with an abundance of arms and artillery, relies critically on weapons supplies from the United States and other Western allies.
However, the dwindling stockpile of ammunition is a cause for concern, as supporters of former US President Donald Trump in Congress have refused to approve a $61 billion military aid package, leaving Ukrainian troops in a precarious situation.
