Partisans involved in attack?
Zelenskyi promises reconquest of Crimea
08/10/2022 09:42 am
“Crimea is Ukrainian and we will never give it up.” This was emphasized by Ukrainian President Zelenskyy after explosions on the peninsula. In the meantime, there are increasing signs that an attack – and not an accident, as the Russian side claims – triggered the detonations at the airport.
After explosions at a Russian air force base in Crimea, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised his compatriots that the lost peninsula would be brought home. “Crimea is Ukrainian and we will never give it up,” he said in Kyiv late Tuesday evening. According to the first available footage, the detonations at the Saki base in western Crimea caused severe damage. The cause is still not entirely clear. But the number and force of the explosions suggest a targeted attack by Ukraine. It would be the first military attack on targets in the Black Sea Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014. Symbolically, it would be a similarly heavy blow to the Moscow leadership as the sinking of the cruiser Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, in mid-April.
Russia had stationed Sukhoi Su-24 bombers and Sukhoi Su-30 multirole fighter aircraft at the Saki airbase north of Sevastopol. Many attacks on targets in southern Ukraine were flown from the base.
The first videos from the base, which have not yet been verified, showed numerous burned-out cars, but also a destroyed Su-24. While the Russian Ministry of Defense spoke on Tuesday that ammunition had exploded due to negligence, the New York Times reported on a Ukrainian attack. A weapon developed by Ukraine was used, the newspaper quoted a senior Ukrainian military officer as saying. Partisans loyal to Ukraine also played a role in the attack. Zelenskyy’s advisor Oleksiy Arestovych also spoke unofficially of an attack with a new Ukrainian weapon “while our partners are not yet sending us long-range missiles”. The Ukrainian defense industry is making progress. Arestovych also mentioned the possible use of partisans.
Images cast doubt on the Russian depiction
Among other things, one speaks against the Russian representation GeoConfirmed Account Twitter Thread. According to his analysis, the two places where the explosions occurred at the same time are probably around 750 meters apart. So it’s hard to imagine two cases of “negligent behavior,” as Russia describes it, leading to explosions at the same time. In addition, a video is now circulating that is said to show at least one destroyed military aircraft on the airport site. The Kremlin initially denied that there was any damage to military equipment. Numerous civilian cars destroyed as a result of the explosions can also be seen on videos.
The focus of military experts is primarily on the new Hrim-2 short-range ballistic missiles. They were developed in Ukraine and are said to have a range of up to 500 kilometers. Zelenskyj: This war begins and ends with the Crimea
With the annexation in 2014, Russia turned Crimea into one of the most dangerous places in Europe, Zelenskyy said in his evening video address. “The Black Sea region cannot be safe as long as Crimea is occupied,” he said. “This Russian war against Ukraine, against all of free Europe, started with Crimea and must end with Crimea, with its liberation.” Russia considers the peninsula as its territory and has threatened massive retaliation should Ukrainian attacks attack it. Most states recognize that Crimea remains part of Ukraine under international law.