This announcement follows the Russian military withdrawal from Kherson, in the north of the annexed peninsula in 2014.
Russia announced on Friday (November 18th) that it was carrying out fortification work in the annexed Crimean peninsula, after the withdrawal of its Russian soldiers to the neighboring Ukrainian region of Kherson in the face of a counter-offensive from kyiv.
“Fortification works are carried out under my control on the territory of Crimea in order to guarantee the safety of Crimeans“Said Sergei Aksionov, the governor installed by Moscow after the annexation of this Ukrainian peninsula in 2014.
He stressed, however, that the security of Crimea passed “primarily through measures to be implemented in the territory of the Kherson region“, which adjoins the peninsula, in the south of Ukraine. The announcement comes as Russian forces made a humiliating withdrawal from the region last week after failing to contain a counterattack by Ukrainian soldiers.
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The withdrawal of the Russian soldiers, who notably abandoned the regional capital which bears the same name, has enabled the forces of kyiv to bring their guns closer to Crimea, which has been targeted several times in recent months. In October, the Crimean Bridge, which connects the peninsula to Russian territory, was partially destroyed in an attack attributed to Ukraine by Moscow, which evoked a truck bomb.
Other attacks attributed to Ukrainian forces have also been carried out in Crimea, in particular against the Russian fleet in Sevastopol or against several Russian military infrastructures in the peninsula. Since its annexation in 2014, Moscow has considered Crimea to be part of its territory, which is not recognized by the international community. kyiv says it wants to take back the peninsula.
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