Drones hit tankers, both loading ports of the targeted tanker run, five oil depots, and the peninsula's power grid in one night of the isolation campaign.
Does anyone have a guess as to why Ukraine is targeting crimea so hard? It’s surrounded by Russian controlled land and contested water. So even if Russia evacuates crimea entirely then Ukraine can’t move troops there to reclaim the territory. So what’s the strategic purpose?
I suspect there’s multiple reasons. There’s morale, there’s increased control of the Black Sea, and there’s cutting off supplies and other support for the southern front. I think the last is the most valid reason.
Ukraine more or less has drone control over the roads running east-west along the southern front. This left the Krim as the safest supply route. However, the Krim is relatively easy to isolate because it’s an island. Destroy the bridges and ships, and voila, no more supply line.
Additionally, Russia used the Krim as a safe rearguard and to launch long-range strikes. Displacing such strikes gives Ukraine more response time, because Russia needs to launch from further away. And it makes it harder for Russia to strike Odesa, which is important for Ukraine’s exports and therefore also for its financial situation.
If Ukraine manages to break through Russia’s southern front, I wouldn’t be surprised if they can push all the way to the Black Sea/Krim/Sea of Azov in one go, since Russia will have great difficulties responding in that area.
On an operational level, It’s probably easier to isolate Crimea than the eastern front, a couple of bridges and drones for close land + kicking the boats and suddenly ; no gas, no electricity which means no food, no water, no warmachine, …
Also there is a political side to it, if they take back Crimea, it will probably spell the end of Putins regime.
Crimea, specifically the Kinburn Spit, is the tail end of a Prince Rupert’s Drop, snipping it will begin a broad dismantling of the russian frontlines.
These droplets are characterized internally by very high residual stresses, which give rise to counter-intuitive properties such as the ability to withstand a blow from a hammer or a bullet on the bulbous end without breaking, while exhibiting explosive disintegration if the tail end is even slightly damaged. In nature, similar structures are produced under certain conditions in volcanic lava and are known as Pele’s tears.
Preston Stewart’s recent interview with Rob Lee explains it well.
One of the most fundamental aspects of warfare is dismantling the enemy frontline by creating/finding a break in them and “folding” the break back to encircle enemy forces.
Try reading some military history!
Or buy Gary Grigsby’s War In The East 2 and learn to play it…
Crimea isn’t a frontline in the same way fish stuck in a barrel looking up past the surface at a machine gun don’t consider the edges of their barrel a frontline.
Does anyone have a guess as to why Ukraine is targeting crimea so hard? It’s surrounded by Russian controlled land and contested water. So even if Russia evacuates crimea entirely then Ukraine can’t move troops there to reclaim the territory. So what’s the strategic purpose?
I suspect there’s multiple reasons. There’s morale, there’s increased control of the Black Sea, and there’s cutting off supplies and other support for the southern front. I think the last is the most valid reason.
Ukraine more or less has drone control over the roads running east-west along the southern front. This left the Krim as the safest supply route. However, the Krim is relatively easy to isolate because it’s an island. Destroy the bridges and ships, and voila, no more supply line.
Additionally, Russia used the Krim as a safe rearguard and to launch long-range strikes. Displacing such strikes gives Ukraine more response time, because Russia needs to launch from further away. And it makes it harder for Russia to strike Odesa, which is important for Ukraine’s exports and therefore also for its financial situation.
If Ukraine manages to break through Russia’s southern front, I wouldn’t be surprised if they can push all the way to the Black Sea/Krim/Sea of Azov in one go, since Russia will have great difficulties responding in that area.
On an operational level, It’s probably easier to isolate Crimea than the eastern front, a couple of bridges and drones for close land + kicking the boats and suddenly ; no gas, no electricity which means no food, no water, no warmachine, …
Also there is a political side to it, if they take back Crimea, it will probably spell the end of Putins regime.
Crimea, specifically the Kinburn Spit, is the tail end of a Prince Rupert’s Drop, snipping it will begin a broad dismantling of the russian frontlines.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Rupert's_drop
Preston Stewart’s recent interview with Rob Lee explains it well.
https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=8YSKgJDacYE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YSKgJDacYE
Also see this recent RFU video.
https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=7g6nv6xanQA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g6nv6xanQA
Ukraine has chased russia out of the sea, that is why Ukraine can decisively take Crimea.
Thanks, but that’s not really a clear answer. How would even a fully evacuated crimea lead to “a broad dismantling of the russian frontlines”?
One of the most fundamental aspects of warfare is dismantling the enemy frontline by creating/finding a break in them and “folding” the break back to encircle enemy forces.
Try reading some military history!
Or buy Gary Grigsby’s War In The East 2 and learn to play it…
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1775550/Gary_Grigsbys_War_in_the_East_2/
Right, but crimea isn’t a frontline, which is what i was saying
Crimea isn’t a frontline in the same way fish stuck in a barrel looking up past the surface at a machine gun don’t consider the edges of their barrel a frontline.