Russian troops are reinforcing their position in Crimea in anticipation of attacks from Ukraine, a Russia-installed regional official admitted.
“Fortification works aimed at guaranteeing Crimeans’ security are being conducted under my supervision,” Russia’s regional governor of the annexed peninsula, Sergei Aksyonov, said Friday.
The prospect of a showdown over Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014 in the clandestine operation that began the war, has loomed into view due to a series of Ukrainian successes in a counteroffensive conducted this fall. Russia’s retreat from the west bank of the Dnieper River not only freed the key city of Kherson but allowed Ukrainian artillery forces to advance into range of the vital peninsula.
“The security of the Republic of Crimea and its inhabitants is ensured through measures taken on behalf of our President,” Aksyonov wrote on social media, per an unofficial translation. “The joint work of the authorities, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, and law enforcement agencies is aimed at ensuring that the Crimeans can feel calm.”
Russia retains control of the east bank of the Dnieper River, leaving a buffer between Ukrainian forces and the isthmus that links Crimea to the Ukrainian mainland. Yet the persistent Russian struggles in protecting supply lines could be exacerbated by the approach of Ukrainian artillery — especially their HIMARS, the ground-to-ground multiple rocket launch systems provided by the United States. --->READ MORE HERE
The retreat of Russian troops from Kherson became a painful event for the Russian elites: it became clear that "the real war has been lost".
Source: Meduza, the Russian Latvia-based media outlet, citing sources close to the administration of the President of Russia and the government of the Russian Federation, who spoke on condition of anonymity
Details: Meduza’s source states that the retreat from Kherson became "a very painful event" for the Russian elites. A source close to businessmen from Vladimir Putin's "close circle" expressed himself as follows:
Quote: "It became clear: we lost the real war. People start thinking about how to live on, what place they would like to occupy in the future, what bet to make, what to play on. (On the one hand – ed.) there will be revanchist sentiments. On the other, there will be a request for normalisation and stabilisation."
More details: However, as Meduza states, the political bloc of the administration of the Russian President is more optimistic. In particular, according to one of the sources, the Kremlin still hopes that in the West, "the consensus in support of Ukraine will collapse" due to the need for cheap energy sources. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to +++++relevant+++++ and related stories:
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